Chlorogenic acid improves food allergy through the AMPK/ACC/CPT-1 pathway

Area of Science:

• Immunology
• Metabolic Regulation
• Natural Product Chemistry

Background:

• Food allergy (FA) is an immune system disorder with potential metabolic implications.
• Chlorogenic acid (CGA), a common plant polyphenol, possesses various pharmacological properties.
• The molecular mechanisms underlying CGA's therapeutic effects, particularly in FA, require further elucidation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the therapeutic effects of CGA on food allergy in a mouse model.
• To explore the regulatory mechanisms of CGA in mitigating food allergy symptoms.
• To examine CGA's impact on key metabolic and immune markers associated with FA.

Main Methods:

• Establishment of a shrimp-induced food allergy mouse model.
• Random allocation of mice into control, FA, and varying CGA dosage groups.
• Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for IgE and IgG.
• Real-time PCR for Acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) and Carnitine palmitoyltransferase-1 (CPT-1) mRNA expression.
• Western blot analysis for AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and ACC phosphorylation, and CPT-1 expression.

Main Results:

• CGA significantly reduced food allergy-induced IgE and IgG levels.
• High-dose CGA decreased ACC mRNA expression and increased CPT-1 mRNA expression.
• CGA promoted AMPK activation and ACC phosphorylation, leading to increased CPT-1 expression in the spleen.
• CGA demonstrated a regulatory effect on the AMPK/ACC/CPT-1 signaling pathway.

Conclusions:

• Chlorogenic acid ameliorates food allergy symptoms in mice.
• CGA exerts its therapeutic effects by modulating the AMPK/ACC/CPT-1 signaling pathway in the spleen.
• These findings suggest CGA's potential as a therapeutic agent for food allergies and related metabolic dysfunctions.