Microfungus <i>Podosphaera fusca</i> and the Fungus-like Organism <i>Peronospora ficariae</i> as Potential Inhalant Allergens in a Mouse Model of Asthma
Allergic conditions have surged to unprecedented levels globally, affecting approximately 30% of the population. Fungi are among the major sources of allergens, accounting for about 6% of respiratory issues. Identifying the causes of respiratory allergies is not always possible. Our study assessed t...
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2025-06-01
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| author | Piotr Wlaź Katarzyna Socała Marta Palusińska-Szysz Urszula Świderska Dominika Szczypior Magdalena Krasowska Agnieszka Szuster-Ciesielska |
| author_facet | Piotr Wlaź Katarzyna Socała Marta Palusińska-Szysz Urszula Świderska Dominika Szczypior Magdalena Krasowska Agnieszka Szuster-Ciesielska |
| author_sort | Piotr Wlaź |
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| description | Allergic conditions have surged to unprecedented levels globally, affecting approximately 30% of the population. Fungi are among the major sources of allergens, accounting for about 6% of respiratory issues. Identifying the causes of respiratory allergies is not always possible. Our study assessed the capacity of two plant parasites, <i>Podosphaera fusca</i> and <i>Peronospora ficariae</i>, which infect <i>Cucurbita pepo</i> and <i>Ficaria verna</i>, to provoke inflammatory and asthmatic reactions in mouse models of acute and chronic asthma. We performed experiments by sensitizing mice through intranasal challenges with extracts from <i>P. fusca</i> and <i>P. ficariae</i>. Subsequently, we used ELISA tests to measure pro-inflammatory cytokines, including IL-4, IL-5, IL-13, TNF-α, and TGF-β. We evaluated specific IgE production through ELISA and examined histological changes in mouse lungs using hematoxylin-eosin staining. Our research revealed that <i>P. fusca</i> and <i>P. ficariae</i> induced significant production of all tested cytokines, increased specific IgE levels, and caused histological changes characteristic of acute and chronic asthma progression. Although weaker than the reference allergen ovalbumin, <i>P. fusca</i> and <i>P. ficariae</i> possess proinflammatory and asthma-inducing capabilities, indicating the potential to expand the current list of fungal allergens. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2073-4409 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
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| series | Cells |
| spelling | doaj-art-bb2001140c244a74a3c8421c28b4db932025-08-20T03:27:00ZengMDPI AGCells2073-44092025-06-01141291410.3390/cells14120914Microfungus <i>Podosphaera fusca</i> and the Fungus-like Organism <i>Peronospora ficariae</i> as Potential Inhalant Allergens in a Mouse Model of AsthmaPiotr Wlaź0Katarzyna Socała1Marta Palusińska-Szysz2Urszula Świderska3Dominika Szczypior4Magdalena Krasowska5Agnieszka Szuster-Ciesielska6Department of Animal Physiology and Pharmacology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, Akademicka 19, 20-032 Lublin, PolandDepartment of Animal Physiology and Pharmacology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, Akademicka 19, 20-032 Lublin, PolandDepartment of Genetics and Microbiology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, Akademicka 19, 20-032 Lublin, PolandDepartment of Botany, Mycology and Ecology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, Akademicka 19, 20-032 Lublin, PolandDepartment of Virology and Immunology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, Akademicka 19, 20-032 Lublin, PolandDepartment of Virology and Immunology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, Akademicka 19, 20-032 Lublin, PolandDepartment of Virology and Immunology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, Akademicka 19, 20-032 Lublin, PolandAllergic conditions have surged to unprecedented levels globally, affecting approximately 30% of the population. Fungi are among the major sources of allergens, accounting for about 6% of respiratory issues. Identifying the causes of respiratory allergies is not always possible. Our study assessed the capacity of two plant parasites, <i>Podosphaera fusca</i> and <i>Peronospora ficariae</i>, which infect <i>Cucurbita pepo</i> and <i>Ficaria verna</i>, to provoke inflammatory and asthmatic reactions in mouse models of acute and chronic asthma. We performed experiments by sensitizing mice through intranasal challenges with extracts from <i>P. fusca</i> and <i>P. ficariae</i>. Subsequently, we used ELISA tests to measure pro-inflammatory cytokines, including IL-4, IL-5, IL-13, TNF-α, and TGF-β. We evaluated specific IgE production through ELISA and examined histological changes in mouse lungs using hematoxylin-eosin staining. Our research revealed that <i>P. fusca</i> and <i>P. ficariae</i> induced significant production of all tested cytokines, increased specific IgE levels, and caused histological changes characteristic of acute and chronic asthma progression. Although weaker than the reference allergen ovalbumin, <i>P. fusca</i> and <i>P. ficariae</i> possess proinflammatory and asthma-inducing capabilities, indicating the potential to expand the current list of fungal allergens.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/14/12/914phytopathogenic microfungusfungus-like organismacute and chronic asthmainflammatory responsemouse model |
| spellingShingle | Piotr Wlaź Katarzyna Socała Marta Palusińska-Szysz Urszula Świderska Dominika Szczypior Magdalena Krasowska Agnieszka Szuster-Ciesielska Microfungus <i>Podosphaera fusca</i> and the Fungus-like Organism <i>Peronospora ficariae</i> as Potential Inhalant Allergens in a Mouse Model of Asthma Cells phytopathogenic microfungus fungus-like organism acute and chronic asthma inflammatory response mouse model |
| title | Microfungus <i>Podosphaera fusca</i> and the Fungus-like Organism <i>Peronospora ficariae</i> as Potential Inhalant Allergens in a Mouse Model of Asthma |
| title_full | Microfungus <i>Podosphaera fusca</i> and the Fungus-like Organism <i>Peronospora ficariae</i> as Potential Inhalant Allergens in a Mouse Model of Asthma |
| title_fullStr | Microfungus <i>Podosphaera fusca</i> and the Fungus-like Organism <i>Peronospora ficariae</i> as Potential Inhalant Allergens in a Mouse Model of Asthma |
| title_full_unstemmed | Microfungus <i>Podosphaera fusca</i> and the Fungus-like Organism <i>Peronospora ficariae</i> as Potential Inhalant Allergens in a Mouse Model of Asthma |
| title_short | Microfungus <i>Podosphaera fusca</i> and the Fungus-like Organism <i>Peronospora ficariae</i> as Potential Inhalant Allergens in a Mouse Model of Asthma |
| title_sort | microfungus i podosphaera fusca i and the fungus like organism i peronospora ficariae i as potential inhalant allergens in a mouse model of asthma |
| topic | phytopathogenic microfungus fungus-like organism acute and chronic asthma inflammatory response mouse model |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/14/12/914 |
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