Exploring the mechanism of sweetener neohesperidin dihydrochalcone on oral tolerance via a network pharmacology approach combined with vivo and vitro methods

Abstract

Neohesperidin dihydrochalcone (NHDC) is a kind of sweetener widely used in food processing. Some artificial sweeteners induce food allergy by breaking oral tolerance (OT). The relationship between NHDC and oral tolerance are important in food safety. We explored the possible effects of NHDC on OT via network pharmacology combined with vivo and vitro experiments. NHDC was predicted to have effects on OT. It was focus on immunoglobulin production, inflammation and immunity. Then, OT mouse model and mast cell degranulation were applied to further explore the mechanism. NHDC could affect the Th2 response by suppressing the sIgG1 level in the serum and GATA-3 expression in the colon. NHDC could inhibit RBL-2H3 cells degranulation by suppressing the Ca2+ influx and MAPK signaling pathways. Results showed that NHDC can be safely applied in food processing and had promotional effects on oral tolerance.

Keywords

• Sweetener
• Tolerance
• Food allergy
• Risk
• Mechanism
• Food safety