Research Article
Pentraxin 3 Facilitates Shrimp-Allergic Responses in IgE-Activated Mast Cells
Figure 1
Levels of PTX3 are increased in the serum and small intestine of shrimp-allergic mice. (a) 3-4 weeks old female BALB/c mice ( per group) were intraperitoneally sensitized and challenged with PBS or shrimp extract. Using Al(OH)3 as an adjuvant, shrimp allergy mice received shrimp extract plus Al(OH)3 in PBS i.p. on days 1, 4, 7, 10, 13, 16, 19, and 22. Blood was collected after the challenge on day 30 for the determination of IgE and PTX3 levels. (b, c) Levels of serological total IgE and PTX3 determined by ELISA. (d) Positive PTX3 immunoreactivity is shown from a representative small intestine of healthy control (a–d) and shrimp allergy (e–h) subjects (from 3 experiments, hematoxylin and PTX3 staining, and magnifications of 20× and 100×). Arrows highlight the outer border of small intestinal villi with increased staining for PTX3. Brown staining indicates PTX3 expression. The quantitative analysis of positive PTX3 staining is shown in the graph.
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