Just to add to the discussion on fruit allergens, Travis said this:
“In this article, Ray Peat frames chitinases as 'allergenic:'
'One of many substances produced by plants in response to injury is chitinase, an enzyme that breaks down chitin, a polysaccharide that is a structural component of fungi and insects. Chitinase, which is produced by bacteria and humans, as well as by plants and other organisms, is involved in developmental processes as well as in the innate immune system. In plants, the enzyme is induced by ethylene and salicylate, in animals by estrogen, light damage, and infections, and can be demonstrated in polyps and cancers.
The two main classes of plant allergens are the stress-induced chitinases, and seed storage proteins, such as gluten. The chitinase allergens are responsible for reactions to latex (which is secreted by rubber trees in reaction to a wound), bananas, avocados, many other fruits and vegetables, and some types of wood and other plant materials. Intensive agricultural methods are increasing the formation of the defensive chemicals, and the industrialized crops are responsible for the great majority of the new allergies that have appeared in the last 30 years.
The presence of the chitinase family of proteins in humans was first discovered in the inflamed asthmatic lung. It was then found at high levels in the uterine endometrium at the time of implantation of the embryo (an inflammation-like situation) and in the uterus during premature labor. Since estrogen treatment is known to increase the incidence of asthma and other inflammations, the appearance of chitinase also in the uterus in estrogen dominated conditions is interesting, especially when the role of estrogen in celiac disease (in effect an allergy to gluten) is considered. Celiac disease is more prevalent among females, and it involves the immunological cross-reaction to an antigen in the estrogen-regulated transglutaminase enzyme and the gluten protein. The (calcium-regulated) transglutaminase enzyme is involved in the cross-linking of proteins in keratinized cells, in fibrotic processes in the liver, and in cancer. (People with celiac disease often suffer from osteoporosis and urinary stone deposition, showing a general problem with calcium regulation.)' —Ray Peat⁽¹⁾
The chitinase present in the lungs of asthmatics is not the same chitinase found in papaya latex, and there's simply no reason to assume they even have remotely similar immunogenic epitopes. The chitinase found in the asthmatic lung is chitotriosidase: an enzyme induced by TH1 cytokines such as interferon-γ, tumor necrosis factor α, and macrophage granulocyte colony-stimulating factor. Humans do not synthesize chitin, and the only rational reason to assume that we make an enzyme to destroy it is for the express purpose of combating a fungal infection; the fact that it's induced by cytokines, or immune cell messengers, adds further credence to this obvious conclusion. The asthmatic lung also exhales more nitric oxide and also has increased levels of prostaglandin D₂, two more foregone conclusions–consequences of TH1 cytokines. I think a better viewpoint is the see these events as remedial: Nitric oxide is necessary for macrophages to destroy fungi and bacteria—exactly why iNOS is induced—and chitotriosidase will help break down the chitinous hyphae and fungal wall. Far from being an allergen, injections of chitotriosidase have actually been shown to protect rats from an otherwise fatal injection of Candida albicans. [Citations available upon request.]”
raypeatforum.com
“In this article, Ray Peat frames chitinases as 'allergenic:'
'One of many substances produced by plants in response to injury is chitinase, an enzyme that breaks down chitin, a polysaccharide that is a structural component of fungi and insects. Chitinase, which is produced by bacteria and humans, as well as by plants and other organisms, is involved in developmental processes as well as in the innate immune system. In plants, the enzyme is induced by ethylene and salicylate, in animals by estrogen, light damage, and infections, and can be demonstrated in polyps and cancers.
The two main classes of plant allergens are the stress-induced chitinases, and seed storage proteins, such as gluten. The chitinase allergens are responsible for reactions to latex (which is secreted by rubber trees in reaction to a wound), bananas, avocados, many other fruits and vegetables, and some types of wood and other plant materials. Intensive agricultural methods are increasing the formation of the defensive chemicals, and the industrialized crops are responsible for the great majority of the new allergies that have appeared in the last 30 years.
The presence of the chitinase family of proteins in humans was first discovered in the inflamed asthmatic lung. It was then found at high levels in the uterine endometrium at the time of implantation of the embryo (an inflammation-like situation) and in the uterus during premature labor. Since estrogen treatment is known to increase the incidence of asthma and other inflammations, the appearance of chitinase also in the uterus in estrogen dominated conditions is interesting, especially when the role of estrogen in celiac disease (in effect an allergy to gluten) is considered. Celiac disease is more prevalent among females, and it involves the immunological cross-reaction to an antigen in the estrogen-regulated transglutaminase enzyme and the gluten protein. The (calcium-regulated) transglutaminase enzyme is involved in the cross-linking of proteins in keratinized cells, in fibrotic processes in the liver, and in cancer. (People with celiac disease often suffer from osteoporosis and urinary stone deposition, showing a general problem with calcium regulation.)' —Ray Peat⁽¹⁾
The chitinase present in the lungs of asthmatics is not the same chitinase found in papaya latex, and there's simply no reason to assume they even have remotely similar immunogenic epitopes. The chitinase found in the asthmatic lung is chitotriosidase: an enzyme induced by TH1 cytokines such as interferon-γ, tumor necrosis factor α, and macrophage granulocyte colony-stimulating factor. Humans do not synthesize chitin, and the only rational reason to assume that we make an enzyme to destroy it is for the express purpose of combating a fungal infection; the fact that it's induced by cytokines, or immune cell messengers, adds further credence to this obvious conclusion. The asthmatic lung also exhales more nitric oxide and also has increased levels of prostaglandin D₂, two more foregone conclusions–consequences of TH1 cytokines. I think a better viewpoint is the see these events as remedial: Nitric oxide is necessary for macrophages to destroy fungi and bacteria—exactly why iNOS is induced—and chitotriosidase will help break down the chitinous hyphae and fungal wall. Far from being an allergen, injections of chitotriosidase have actually been shown to protect rats from an otherwise fatal injection of Candida albicans. [Citations available upon request.]”
The Travis Corner
Excellent, I thank you....can you overdue it on spinach? Here in Belize, chaya is very popular...you have awakened me to including some leaves in my diet...thanks again. I don't know. I just actually got some spinach today because they were out of kale, but I did get some kale (got the last two...
Just another day on the Ray Peat Forum.
