A group at Juntendo University has found out in experiments using mice that the symptoms of hay fever immediately appear in the eyes, which should be protected by mucous membranes, and are believed to be caused by a special mechanism that reacts to the pollen shell and quickly takes in allergens.
This research was published in an international academic journal by a group led by Associate Professor Tomoaki Ando of Juntendo University.
Hay fever is caused by the incorporation of allergy-causing substances in the pollen shell into the body, but the mechanism by which it is taken into the body from the surface of the eye, which is supposed to be protected by the mucous membrane, was not known in detail.
In the group, the pollen was divided into a shell and a causative agent inside, and both the shell and the causative agent were attached to the eyes of mice, and the reaction was observed in detail under a microscope.
As a result, we were able to observe how cells called "goblet cells" on the surface of the eye react to the pollen shell, quickly take in a large amount of causative substances, and deliver them to immune cells.
On the other hand, even if only the causative agent was adhered to the eyes, it was almost not taken into the body.
The group believes that the symptoms of hay fever appear as soon as pollen is touched because of this mechanism.
Associate Professor Ando says, "Investigating this mechanism in more detail should lead to the development of new treatments for hay fever."