Adenosine in Ambrosia pollen increases allergy

Ambrosia artemisiifolia produces pollen that can cause severe allergic reactions in very small quantities. Scientists have now been able to show that the previously known major allergen, the protein Amb a 1, only works in combination with the substance adenosine, which is also present in pollens, in a highly allergenic manner.

Ambrosia produces up to one billion pollen per plant during flowering. Image: stadelpeter / fotolia.com

If ambrosia pollen gets into the respiratory tract, it causes severe inflammation in the lung tissue, which can cause respiratory problems or even asthma. The scientists found that the major allergen Amb a 1 alone did not cause any inflammation - in contrast to the whole pollen extract, which was very allergenic. In the search for other allergens they came across the substance adenosine, which could be detected in high concentration in birch pollen.

To test this hypothesis, they removed adenosine from the entire pollen extract and re-administered the mixture. The result: only very small signs of inflammation could be seen. If the scientists gave adenosine alone, no significant allergic reaction in the lungs was also observed. (Pm)