Scientific Study

SCOPE: A major downside of oral immunotherapy (OIT) for food allergy is the risk of severe side-effects. Non-digestible short- and long-chain fructo-oligosaccharides (scFOS/lcFOS), reduced allergy development in murine models. We therefor hypothesized that scFOS/lcFOS can also support the efficacy of OIT in a peanut allergy model. METHODS AND RESULTS: After sensitization to peanut extract (PE) using cholera toxin, C3H/HeOuJ mice were fed a 1% scFOS/lcFOS or control diet and received OIT (1.5 or 15 mg PE). Hereafter, mice were exposed to PE via different routes to determine the safety and efficacy of treatment in clinical outcomes, PE-specific antibody production and numbers of various immune cells. scFOS/lcFOS increased short-chain fatty acid levels in the caecum and reduced the acute allergic skin response and drop in body temperature after PE exposure. Interestingly, 15 mg and 1.5 mg OIT with scFOS/lcFOS induced protection against anaphylaxis, whereas 1.5 mg OIT alone did not. OIT, with or without scFOS/lcFOS, induced PE-specific IgG and IgA levels and increased CD103+ dendritic cells in the mesenteric lymph nodes. CONCLUSIONS: scFOS/lcFOS and scFOS/lcFOS combined with a low dose OIT are able to protect against a peanut-allergic anaphylactic response.