Inhibition of allergen-induced bronchoconstriction in sensitized guinea pigs by orally administered allergen.

Crude mite extract (CME) was orally administered to guinea pigs sensitized to CME. It was shown that such treatment reduces the bronchoconstrictive response upon allergen provocation. Isolated tracheae taken from guinea pigs orally administered CME allergen showed less contraction in response to CME as compared to those obtained from sensitized but not orally treated animals. The oral administration of allergens seemed to attenuate the bronchial hyperresponsiveness of sensitized animals to a non-specific chemical stimulus (histamine). IgE antibodies titrated by 8 days passive cutaneous anaphylaxis, and IgG1 and IgG2 antibodies measured by ELISA were comparable in the sera obtained from animals before and after CME treatment.