In vitro electrochemical detection of wheat allergen using rat basophilic leukaemia (RBL-1) cells

Area of Science:

• Electrochemistry
• Immunology
• Food Science

Background:

• Food allergies pose a significant health concern, necessitating sensitive and rapid detection methods.
• Conventional allergy detection methods, such as skin tests, can be invasive and lack sensitivity.
• Electrochemical techniques offer potential for sensitive and specific biomolecule detection.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate an electrochemical method for detecting food allergens.
• To assess the specificity and sensitivity of the developed method for wheat protein detection.
• To compare the performance of the electrochemical method with conventional allergy testing.

Main Methods:

• Sensitization of Rat Basophilic Leukaemia (RBL-1) cells with serum from wheat-allergic rats.
• Incubation of sensitized cells with food protein fractions.
• Immobilization of cells on a membrane filter attached to a basal-plane pyrolytic graphite electrode.
• Cyclic voltammetry analysis in the 0-1.0 V range relative to a saturated calomel electrode.

Main Results:

• An anodic peak current at approximately 0.33 V, attributed to serotonin release, was observed.
• Peak current increased with incubation time, reaching a maximum at 20-25 minutes.
• The electrochemical response was specific to the wheat protein fraction.
• Linear correlation between peak current and wheat protein concentration (0.01-0.5 µg/mL) was established.
• The method demonstrated higher sensitivity compared to conventional skin tests.

Conclusions:

• The developed electrochemical method, utilizing cyclic voltammetry and RBL-1 cells, enables rapid and sensitive detection of food allergens.
• This technique allows for the quantification of specific food protein concentrations responsible for allergic reactions.
• The method shows promise as a superior alternative to traditional allergy diagnostic tools.