Xu Sulin, Tang Xuening, Hou Mengyao, Wang Ming, Lv Xingang, He Liangliang, Sun Tingting, Fu Wenhui, Rao Huan, Tian Yang
College of Food Science and Technology, Northwest University, Xi'an, China.
Pharmaceutical Laboratory, Shaanxi Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Xi'an, China.
J Sci Food Agric. 2025 Nov;105(14):8059-8070. doi: 10.1002/jsfa.70081. Epub 2025 Jul 25.
Pumpkin seeds are commonly consumed nuts. While their allergic potential has been neglected, major allergens existing in pumpkin seed proteins (PS pro) are not clarified yet. Thermal processing has been reported as an effective desensitizing method. However, neither the desensitization effect of heat treatment on PS pro nor the working mechanism is clarified.
Protein bands with molecular weight around 15, 35 and 55 kDa are the major allergens identified in PS pro. Proteins around 10-15 kDa showed more resistance to thermal processing compared with other bands. Hydrophobic bonds contributed to the preserved antibody-binding capacity of baked allergens, whereas the reduced secondary structures resulted in a decrease in allergenicity of boiled allergens. A murine model allergic to PS pro with a relatively longer sensitization period was constructed, and the parameters (baking at 120 °C for 25 min) were proved to be capable of decreasing the sensitivity. The desensitizing mechanism was explored in three aspects: (i) Th2 responses in both the spleen and mesenteric lymph nodes were suppressed; (ii) gut microbial community was changed, the Firmicutes/Bacteroidata ratio decreased and the abundance of both Clostridium_citroniae and Lactobacillus_johnsonii increased; and (iii) the content of acetic acid, butyric acid and isobutyric acid increased.
Thermal processing could decrease the sensitivity of PS pro from the aspects of allergen structural changes and in vivo reactions in allergic mice. Our research could provide valuable processing parameters for the production of both desensitized food and allergy vaccines, and give a realistic view for allergy pathogenesis study. © 2025 Society of Chemical Industry.
南瓜籽是常见的食用坚果。尽管其过敏潜力一直被忽视，但南瓜籽蛋白（PS pro）中存在的主要过敏原尚未明确。据报道，热处理是一种有效的脱敏方法。然而，热处理对PS pro的脱敏效果及其作用机制均未明确。
分子量约为15、35和55 kDa的蛋白条带是在PS pro中鉴定出的主要过敏原。与其他条带相比，10 - 15 kDa左右的蛋白质对热处理具有更强的抗性。疏水键有助于烘焙后过敏原保留抗体结合能力，而二级结构的减少导致水煮后过敏原的致敏性降低。构建了致敏期相对较长的对PS pro过敏的小鼠模型，证明参数（120℃烘焙25分钟）能够降低敏感性。从三个方面探讨了脱敏机制：（i）脾脏和肠系膜淋巴结中的Th2反应均受到抑制；（ii）肠道微生物群落发生变化，厚壁菌门/拟杆菌门比例降低，柠檬酸梭菌和约翰逊乳杆菌的丰度均增加；（iii）乙酸、丁酸和异丁酸的含量增加。
热处理可从过敏原结构变化和过敏小鼠体内反应方面降低PS pro的敏感性。我们的研究可为脱敏食品和过敏疫苗的生产提供有价值的加工参数，并为过敏发病机制研究提供现实依据。© 2025化学工业协会。
