SECALE-CEREALE POLLEN - BOTANICAL REASONS FOR VARIABILITY IN THE QUALITY OF ALLERGENIC EXTRACTS

Three Secale cereale pollen batches, harvested by different procedures and supplied by manufacturers from different countries, were parallel ly incubated in phosphate buffer saline, pH 7.4. The extracts obtained showed differences both in proteic and allergenic composition. To ana lyze the reasons for this variability we have studied the way in which proteins and allergens leave the pollen during the extraction procedu re. The results show that well-preserved pollen grains release their c omponents in accordance with the botanical events that occur in Secale cereale pollen when it is rehydrated. Alterations produced in the pol len during manufacturing procedures cause differences in protein emiss ion patterns, affecting the final composition of the allergenic extrac t. Moreover, although well-preserved pollen batches released their pro teins in a similar way, we have detected slight differences in the ele ctrophoretical mobility. Comparable allergens were correactives, but I gE from the patients studied showed a different affinity to them.