Metabolomics of IgE-Mediated Food Allergy and Oral Immunotherapy Outcomes based on Metabolomic Profiling
Authors: Virkud Yamini V. , Styles Jennifer N. , Kelly Rachel S. , Patil Sarita U. , Ruiter Bert , Smith Neal P. , Clish Clary , Wheelock Craig E. , Celedón Juan C. , Litonjua Augusto A. , Bunyavanich Supinda , Weiss Scott T. , Baker Erin S. , Lasky-Su Jessica A. , Shreffler Wayne G. 
Published: June 2024

Background

The immunometabolic mechanisms underlying variable responses to oral immunotherapy (OIT) in patients with IgE-mediated food allergy are unknown.

Objective

To identify novel pathways associated with tolerance in food allergy, we used metabolomic profiling to find pathways important for food allergy in multi-ethnic cohorts and responses to OIT.

Methods

Untargeted plasma metabolomics data were generated from the VDAART healthy infant cohort (N=384), a Costa Rican cohort of children with asthma (N=1040), and a peanut OIT trial (N=20) evaluating sustained unresponsiveness (SU, protection that lasts after therapy) versus transient desensitization (TD, protection that ends immediately afterwards). Generalized linear regression modeling and pathway enrichment analysis identified metabolites associated with food allergy and OIT outcomes.

Results

Compared with unaffected children, those with food allergy were more likely to have metabolomic profiles with altered histidines and increased bile acids. Eicosanoids (e.g., arachidonic acid derivatives) (q=2.4×10−20) and linoleic acid derivatives (q=3.8×10−5) pathways decreased over time on OIT. Comparing SU versus TD revealed differing concentrations of bile acids (q=4.1×10−8), eicosanoids (q=7.9×10−7), and histidine pathways (q=0.015). In particular, the bile acid lithocholate (4.97[1.93,16.14], p=0.0027), the eicosanoid leukotriene B4 (3.21[1.38,8.38], p=0.01), and the histidine metabolite urocanic acid (22.13[3.98,194.67], p=0.0015) were higher in SU.

Conclusions

We observed distinct profiles of bile acids, histidines, and eicosanoids that vary among patients with food allergy, over time on OIT and between SU and TD. Participants with SU had higher levels of metabolites such as lithocholate and urocanic acid, which have immunomodulatory roles in key T-cell subsets, suggesting potential mechanisms of tolerance in immunotherapy.

Key Messages

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Compared with unaffected controls, children with food allergy demonstrated higher levels of bile acids and distinct histidine/urocanic acid profiles, suggesting a potential role of these metabolites in food allergy.

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In participants receiving oral immunotherapy for food allergy, those who were able to maintain tolerance-even after stopping therapyhad lower overall levels of bile acid and histidine metabolites, with the exception of lithocholic acid and urocanic acid, two metabolites that have roles in T cell differentiation that may increase the likelihood of remission in immunotherapy.

Capsule summary

This is the first study of plasma metabolomic profiles of responses to OIT in individuals with IgE-mediated food allergy. Identification of immunomodulatory metabolites in allergic tolerance may help identify mechanisms of tolerance and guide future therapeutic development.