New Insights into Food Allergy Reactions

Food allergy reactions, particularly those that begin in the gut after consuming an irritant, have long puzzled scientists. Researchers from Arizona State University, in collaboration with a team from Yale University, have now discovered a new role for specialized immune cells in the gut in triggering these reactions.

The New Role of Immune Cells in the Gut

The researchers found that specialized immune cells in the gut produce powerful chemical messages that can cause muscle contractions in the airways and intestines, increase mucus production, and exacerbate inflammation. These messages play a role in asthma attacks, but the new study shows they are also a major driver of acute food allergy reactions that start in the gut.

The study, published in the journal Science, reveals that reactions to irritants in the gut are fundamentally different from those that enter the bloodstream directly.

A New Understanding of Allergy Pathways

Until now, the prevailing assumption was that allergies followed the same pathway regardless of how irritants entered the body, with histamine from mast cells being the main driver. However, the study showed that food irritants stimulate a specialized group of mast cells in the gut to produce lipid molecules called leukotrienes instead of histamine, which are responsible for allergic reactions in the digestive system.

Mast cells in the gut lining receive signals from neighboring epithelial cells, leading to altered activity and increased production of leukotrienes and less histamine.

A New Approach to Preventing Food Allergy Emergencies

To test the impact of leukotrienes in triggering allergic reactions, the team used the FDA-approved drug Zileuton, which inhibits a crucial enzyme in leukotriene production, for asthma treatment. The results showed that the drug reduced allergy symptoms and offered protection against a dangerous drop in body temperature—a hallmark of anaphylaxis.

The new findings suggest that targeting leukotrienes could provide a new preventive or therapeutic approach for food-induced anaphylaxis.

Beyond Just a Gut Reaction

This study changes how scientists think about allergic reactions, showing that the way irritants enter the body—whether through the skin, bloodstream, or gut—can determine the type of immune response involved.

The researchers plan to follow up by examining whether similar mast cell groups and leukotriene-driven pathways exist in human guts and whether they can be blocked to reduce or prevent severe reactions in people with life-threatening food allergies.

Conclusion

This study provides new and important insights into how the body reacts to food irritants, highlighting the significance of leukotrienes as a potential therapeutic target for food allergy reactions. With leukotriene-inhibiting drugs already approved, this opens the door for rapid testing of their application in treating food allergies.