Abstract

In this study we provide further evidence supporting the
concept that profilin can elicit nasal and bronchial responses in
patients with pollen allergy who are also sensitized to profilin and
therefore should be considered as a respiratory allergen. Nasal
responses were lower than bronchial responses, likely because of
low concentrations of allergen reaching the nasal mucosa. Nasal
and bronchial challenge tests with natural and recombinant Bet v 1
were previously described by Godnic-Cvar et al.9 To our knowledge,
ours is the first study to demonstrate that profilin can induce
allergic respiratory symptoms. In the other part of the study, we
demonstrated that the amount of profilin present in different pollen
extracts is low compared with the quantity of the main allergens
within each pollen studied. The profilin content in grasses is
significantly higher than that present in trees or weeds. This
higher prevalence in grasses supports and could explain the correlation
between profilin sensitization and grass allergy.5,10 However,
these finding do not indicate that a standardization
strategy for grass vaccines based on the quantification of potential
relevant minor allergens, such as profilin, could increase its efficacy
in patients sensitized to grass pollen.
In conclusion, profilin can elicit respiratory symptoms in
sensitized patients with rhinitis, asthma, or both. Therefore it
should be considered a potentially relevant respiratory allergen
when patients are exposed to high levels of grass pollen.

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