Available online freely at www.isisn.org Bioscience Research Print ISSN: 1811-9506 Online ISSN: 2218-3973 Journal by Innovative Scientific Information & Services Network RESEARCH ARTICLE BIOSCIENCE RESEARCH, 2019 16(2): 1377-1390. OPEN ACCESS Enzymatic treatment of gliadins triggers anaphylactic reaction in a murine model of wheat allergy: in vivo and ex vivo study Youcef Bouferkas * , Abir Haddi, Nabila Mehedi, Djamel Saidi and Omar Kheroua. Laboratory of Physiology of Nutrition and Food Safety, Department of Biology, Faculty of Natural and Life Sciences, University Oran 1 Ahmed Ben Bella, B.P 1524, El M'Naouer - 31000 Oran, Algeria. *Correspondence: youcef35@gmail.com Accepted: 00 Apr. 2019 Published online: 11 May. 2019 Enzymatic hydrolysis of wheat proteins is an effective mean to improve various functional proprieties. This study examines the effect of enzymatic hydrolysis of gliadins and the ability of these hydrolysates to elicit anaphylactic reactions in mice allergic to native gliadins (NG).Two groups of female Balb/c mice were established: naïve group sensitized with aluminum hydroxide (Alum) and NG group sensitized with 10 μg of NG. NG-specific IgG and IgE antibodies level were determined in serum by ELISA. Symptom scores, body temperature and vascular leakage were determined after in vivo challenge to NG and hydrolyzed gliadins. Jejunums were used for histological analysis and for the assessment of local anaphylactic response by an ex vivo study in Ussing chamber (measurement of electrophysiological parameters; short-circuit current (Isc) (μA/cm²) and conductance (G) (mmho/cm²)).NG-sensitized mice secreted higher levels of NG-specific IgG and IgE antibodies and showed significantly higher Isc (μA/cm²) and G (mmho/cm²) values as well as alterations of the intestinal barrier and villous atrophy. in vivo IP challenge of NG-sensitized mice with corolase 7089 hydrolysates caused less severe clinical manifestations than those observed after challenge with peptic and tryptic hydrolysates, the latter being similar to those observed with NG. The same results were observed for body temperature and vascular permeability.NG and digestive enzymes hydrolysates can elicit severe anaphylaxis symptoms, whereas, the industrial enzyme hydrolysates induce less severe symptoms. Keywords: wheat allergy; gliadins; enzymatic hydrolysis; anaphylaxis; Ussing chamber INTRODUCTION Wheat is one of the most harvested cereals and an important part of the human diet in the world. In 2017, Algerian wheat production exceeded three million tons (FAOSTAT, 2018). Wheat proteins are implicated in different types of adverse reactions (respiratory, food and contact allergies). Food-induced allergenic reactions may be responsible for different clinical symptoms that can be characterized by mild urticaria, diarrhea or anaphylactic shock. Food allergy is an important manifestation of Type I allergic reaction mediated primarily by immunoglobulin E (IgE). Specific IgE can be induced by ingesting food allergens, the binding of these allergens by specific IgE on effector cells, such as basophils and mast cells, leads to mediators release (i.e., histamine), and a subsequent cascade of pathologic events (Wang et al., 2014). The world prevalence of the food allergy to wheat proteins has increased during the past decade; the rate of sensitization is 0.4-1.3% in children and 0.2-0.9% among adults (Prandi et al., 2013). Several wheat allergens have been identified in different fractions of wheat grain, amongst