Abstract
Antigenicities of oosponol(4-hydroxymethyl ketone-8-hydroxyisocoumarine) and KI(4-1', 2'-dihydro-xethyhyl-8-hydroxyisocoumarine), which were metabolic products of an air-borne fungi, oospora astringenes, collected in the room of bronchial asthmatic patients, was investigated by means of Schulz-Dale's and Konzett-Lossler's methods in guinea pigs. Physiological saline solutions, these solutions added with Freund's complete adjuvant and guinea pig's serum dilutions of 7 mg/ml of KI or oosponol containing the adequate volume of the adjuvant were used for the sensitizing antigens. Sensitization by injections of all of the solutions of KI were found unsuccessfull and the guinea pigs could not be sensitized by injection of physiological saline solution of oosponol even with the adjuvant. The animals sensitized with blend of oosponol, guinea pig's serum and the adjuvant were well responsive for challenge by guinea pig's serum dilution with oosponol. The response was found very remarkable, when the blended serum was used for sensitization after incubation at 38℃ during 48 hrs. The desensitization was evidenced in constrictive reaction in the isolated smooth muscle preparations, but the challenge by oosponol alone was impossible. Results of Schulz-Dale's reaction in small intestines from the guinea pigs sensitized with oosponol-serum protein fractions and electrophotometrical analysis on the blended serum showed that antigen-like principle presented in oosponol-albumin fraction. These facts above mentioned suggested that oosponol interacted with serum albumin and that some new substances possessing antigenic activity were formed. The air-borne fungi and their metabolic products being in house dust could be suspected to play an important role in ethiology of asthmatic attack.
