Combatting the antigenicity of common ragweed pollen and its primary allergen Amb a 1 with cold atmospheric pressure air plasma

TY - JOUR

T1 - Combatting the antigenicity of common ragweed pollen and its primary allergen Amb a 1 with cold atmospheric pressure air plasma

AU - Hojnik, Nataša

AU - Shvalya, Vasyl

AU - Zavašnik, Janez

AU - Šribar, Jernej

AU - Križaj, Igor

AU - Walsh, James L.

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2024 Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an author-produced version of the published paper. Uploaded in accordance with the University’s Research Publications and Open Access policy.

PY - 2024/11/5

Y1 - 2024/11/5

N2 - Airborne allergens, especially those originating from various types of pollen, significantly compromise the health and well-being of individuals on a global scale. Here, cold atmospheric pressure plasma (CAP) created in ambient air was used to treat highly allergenic and invasive Ambrosia artemisiifolia pollen. Immunoassays were used to evaluate the impact of CAP on the principal A. artemisiifolia allergen Amb a 1, demonstrating that > 90 % reduction in antigenicity could be achieved. Chemical analyses using Fourier Transform infrared revealed that CAP induced significant alterations to proteins on the surface of pollen grains, resulting in a 43 % increase in the amide I peak area and a 57 % increase in the amide II peak area. These findings were corroborated by Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, which indicated that the protein modifications induced by CAP were due to carbonylation and nitration/nitrosylation processes. Beyond protein transformations, CAP also induced notable oxidation and modification of lipid-like compounds, polysaccharides and sporopollenin. Evident transformations at the chemical level translated into morphological changes at the grain surface, manifesting as increased roughness via significant outer-layer etching. These findings underscore the potential of CAP technology as a viable approach for mitigating against the allergenicity of pollen, providing a deeper understanding into the underlying chemical mechanisms.

AB - Airborne allergens, especially those originating from various types of pollen, significantly compromise the health and well-being of individuals on a global scale. Here, cold atmospheric pressure plasma (CAP) created in ambient air was used to treat highly allergenic and invasive Ambrosia artemisiifolia pollen. Immunoassays were used to evaluate the impact of CAP on the principal A. artemisiifolia allergen Amb a 1, demonstrating that > 90 % reduction in antigenicity could be achieved. Chemical analyses using Fourier Transform infrared revealed that CAP induced significant alterations to proteins on the surface of pollen grains, resulting in a 43 % increase in the amide I peak area and a 57 % increase in the amide II peak area. These findings were corroborated by Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, which indicated that the protein modifications induced by CAP were due to carbonylation and nitration/nitrosylation processes. Beyond protein transformations, CAP also induced notable oxidation and modification of lipid-like compounds, polysaccharides and sporopollenin. Evident transformations at the chemical level translated into morphological changes at the grain surface, manifesting as increased roughness via significant outer-layer etching. These findings underscore the potential of CAP technology as a viable approach for mitigating against the allergenicity of pollen, providing a deeper understanding into the underlying chemical mechanisms.

KW - Airborne allergens

KW - Antigenicity reduction

KW - Cold atmospheric pressure plasma

KW - Common ragweed pollen

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85202145719&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.135640

DO - 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.135640

M3 - Article

C2 - 39208626

AN - SCOPUS:85202145719

SN - 0304-3894

VL - 479

JO - Journal of hazardous materials

JF - Journal of hazardous materials

M1 - 135640

ER -