Laurence L. Layton

Allergy to green coffee: Failure of patients allergic to green coffee to react to chlorogenic acid, roasted coffee, or orange

Abstract Clinical skin tests upon twenty-nine French patients and allergic human serum transfer tests in monkeys indicate that primary allergy to green coffee does not involve chlorogenic acid or its known isomers. Allergy to green coffee appears to be a typical example of atopic hypersensitivity to proteins specific, in this allergy, to the green coffee bean. There were no cross-reactions to castor beans or oranges, nor were there any reaginic reactions to roasted coffee or to coffee beverage.

Multiple allergies to the pollen and seed antigens of ricinus communis (castor bean)

Abstract Ten individuals shown by skin test PCA reaction in monkeys to be allergic to castor bean seed proteins were skin-tested for sensitivity to the castor bean pollen. Nine of these gave mild reaction to the pollen. Blood sera from the 10 individuals together with those of 3 other castor bean-allergic individuals were tested by passive cutaneous anaphylaxis in the cynomolgus monkey, Macaca irus . Six of the 9 giving positive skin sensitivity to the pollen also gave positive PCA reactions in the monkey. Of the 3 who were not skin-tested with pollen, the sera of 2 gave PCA reactions to pollen when tested in the monkey. The evidence indicates that the pollen and seed have certain allergenic components in common, but that allergic reactions to the pollen are less severe than to the seed meal. In certain instances, pollen from castor bean plants grown in fields or as ornamental plants near houses may be involved in the initial sensitization of humans to the castor bean seed proteins or meal.

Demonstration of human reagins to foods, cat dander, an insect, and ragweed and grass pollens

Abstract Serum from patients with food allergy due to cereal grains and peanuts, as well as from patients with respiratory allergy due to cat dander and ragweed and grass pollens, sensitized the skin of the cynomolgus monkey, Macaca irus . This was demonstrated by challenge with an allergenic extract which elicited passive cutaneous anaphylaxis with extravasation of intravenously injected Evans blue dye in the sites sensitized to that particular antigen. The testing of human sera in monkeys appears to give results that correlate well with cutaneous tests in human beings, and appears suitable for use as a research tool whenever in vitro immunochemical data or results obtained with guinea pigs and rabbits should be correlated with the actual human allergy.

Nondiffusible allergenic contaminant isolated from samples of chlorogenic acid causing allergic reactions: Pure chlorogenic acid not an allergen

Abstract A sample of chlorogenic acid submitted by Sehon and Freedman as the allergen of green coffee was subjected to simple dialysis in cellophane bags. The diffusible low-molecular-weight component (dialysate) contained all of the chlorogenic acid of the original sample but was shown by Prausnitz-Kustner tests to be nonallergenic. The nondiffusible high-molecular-weight component retained within the dialysis bag contained no chlorogenic acid but did contain a coffee-specific antigen that caused positive skin reactions in Prausnitz-Kustner tests with sera from patients with atopy to green coffee. Samples of chlorogenic acid obtained from commerical sources contained nondiffusible antigen. A sample of synthetic chlorogenic acid from M. L. Scarpatis laboratory was found to be without allergenic activity in clinical tests upon French patients with severe allergy to green coffee. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra determined on all samples studied showed that all were correctly identified as chlorogenic acid (3-caffeoylquinic acid). These results together with our previous studies show that the coffee-specific allergenicity (antigenicity) present in some samples of chlorogenic acid is due entirely to protein present as a contaminant. It appears to be highly improbable that chlorogenic acid ever functions as an allergen in human atopic hypersensitivity to materials of plant origin.

Passive transfer of human atopic allergies into lemurs, lorises, pottos, and galagos: Possible primate-ordinal specificity of acceptance of passive sensitization by human atopic reagin

Abstract Reaginic sera from patients with atopic allergy to various atopens were shown to confer passive sensitivity upon the skins of higher primates (Anthropoidea) and upon the lorisiforme and lemuriforme Prosimii. Of the Prosimii, Galago crassicaudatus was found to be most suitable for allergic serum transfer studies. Human allergic sera failed to sensitize the skin of the primate-like insectivore, Tupaia glis (tree shrew). Representative species of orders Carnivora, Ungulata, Lagomorpha, Rodentia, Marsupialia, and Microchiroptera failed to accept passive sensitization by human reaginic sera. Acceptance of passive skin sensitization by human atopic reagin may be an ordinally specific characteristic limited to the primates.

Stability and behavior of reaginic antibodies: effects of freezing, thawing, and lyophilizing on skin-sensitizing activity of reaginic sera.

Abstract This is one in a series of studies on the behavior and stability of reaginic antibodies subjected to various physical, chemical, and thermal influences. Observations were made on the effect of freezing, thawing, and storing, in the lyophilized state, sera of various ages from a few hours to more than four years. These observations provided a basis for acceptance of the reliability of our entire serum banks used in the successive studies. Both human volunteers and lower primates were employed as recipients for the passive transfer studies. The sera used contain reaginic antibodies for a variety of allergens. Those containing reagin for penicillin were most valuable for quantitation, since challenge at a remote site permitted the presumption of delivery of equal quantities of allergens to all the sensitized sites, thus eliminating the element of trauma and error of measurement, faults inherent in the direct challenge. Results indicate that lyophilization as well as storage of serum at subfreezing temperature preserved the reaginic antibodies equally well for a number of years (perhaps better with lyophilized serum). Repeated freezing and thawing, and even allowing the serum to stand in liquid state for hours to several days, did not significantly alter the reaginic titer, as measured by passive transfer test on the monkey. These results will make more acceptable our succeeding studies and permit our expanding our serum banks for long-range immunological studies with reaginic antibodies.

Two homogeneous immunoassays for pyridoxamine

Protein conjugates of pyridoxal have been used to elicit anti-vitamin B6 antibodies in rabbits. These antibodies have been incorporated into 2 homogeneous assays systems, a spin immunoassay, using a paramagnetic derivative of the vitamin as ligand, and a fluorescence enzyme immunoassay, using beta-galactosidase conjugated to vitamin B6 as the indicator molecule. These assay systems do not require fractionation steps, and could be the basis of analytical methodology for nutritional research or clinical diagnosis.

Use of monkeys to demonstrate allergic cross-reactions among the euphorbiaceae: Ricinus communis, poinsettia pulcherrima, euphorbia esula

Abstract Individuals who are sensitized by or allergic to one species of Euphorbiaceae may be allergic to other species also. Guinea pigs passively sensitized with sera from rabbits that had been sensitized to Ricinus communis (castor bean) exhibited passive cutaneous anaphylaxis with extravasation of Evans blue dye when challenged with antigens extracted from the blossoms and seeds of Poinsettia pulcherrima , or Euphorbia esula. Macaca irus monkeys passively sensitized with blood sera from castor bean-allergic human beings exhibited PCA reactions when challenged with blossom antigens from either of these euphorbias.