Elucidation of pollen adjuvants for pollinosis

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K22791
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: 0803:Pathology, infection/immunology, and related fields
• Research Institution: Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Science
• Principal Investigator: Kanno Takashi 東京薬科大学, 薬学部, 助教 (00882135)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-09-11 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 花粉症 / 自然免疫 / 獲得免疫 / 糖鎖

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In this study, we investigated the relationship between the susceptibility to pollinosis and β-glucan, which is one of the immune-activating substances contained in pollen. Among the pollens examined in this study, β-glucan is highly likely to affect the onset of pollinosis in Japanese cedar, Japanese cypress and orchard grass. On the other hand, in ragweed and birch β-glucan is not to affect the onset of pollinosis. Other immunostimulatory substances are thought to be affect onset of pollinosis. In addition, it was clarified that β-glucan is not involved in the activation of immunity in the pollens that are less likely to cause pollinosis, such as Canadian goldenrod, Ginkgo, Japanese red pine, and Japanese black pine which are in normally scattered condition.

Free Research Field

免疫学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

日本国内には多くの人が花粉症に罹患し、スギが最も多いもののそれだけでなく様々な花粉症を発症あるいは併発している。しかし現在のところ植物種による花粉症のなりやすさには明確な指標が存在しない。本研究では糖の1種であるβ-グルカンを指標として花粉症の発症への影響を比較した。β-グルカンの受容体は個人差があることから植物種ごとの花粉症になりやすさやその個人差に関連する可能性があり、今後さらに検討が進めば新たな治療法・予防法の確立につながる可能性がある。