A recent study published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences has discovered a hormone that may be responsible for increased allergic reactions. Lead researcher Mika Yamanaka-Takaichi, a graduate student of the Department of Dermatology, Osaka City University, spotted a recurring theme in her patients that led her to the research. Yamanaka-Takaichi found that many patients with allergies noted that their symptoms intensified when they experienced psychological stress. Corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), also known as corticotropin-releasing factor, is a hormone released in response to chronic stress. This in turn triggers the release of corticotropin (ACTH), another hormone responsible for the physiological response to stress.
Yamanaka-Takaichi and colleague Professor Daisuke Tsuruta hypothesize that mast cell (MC) degranulation in human skin is triggered by CRH. They added CRH to a nasal polyp organ culture and observed a significant increase in stem cell factor (SCF) as well as a stimulation of MC degranulation and proliferation. The corticotropin-releasing hormone receptor 1 (CRHR1 gene) is a major regulator of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal pathway activated during the stress and immune response. The researchers found that the inhibition of CRHR1 reduced the allergic response in mouse models, concluding that knocking out the CRHR1 receptor that binds to CRH can help reduce allergic reactions.
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