DETECTION OF IGE-BINDING ACTIVITY IN SERUM AFTER INTRANASAL TREATMENT OF NORMAL RABBITS WITH P-JUDAICA EXTRACT

Local intranasal immunotherapy relieves the allergic symptoms of rhinitic patients but little is known about the absorption and distribution of inhaled allergens in the body. The aim of this study was to establish whether allergenic proteins are able to reach the bloodstream by penetrating through the nasal mucosa when acqueous P. judaica extract was administered into the nostrils of normal rabbits. Optimal conditions for a sensitive modified RAST (immunocapture RAST) were set up and the method was used to detect clinically relevant allergenic activity in the systemic circulation. The kinetic profile after intranasal treatment was compared with the profile after intravenous injection of the allergenic extract. The findings are discussed in relation to the mechanism by which local immunotherapy acts.