Egg white lysozyme digestion and its allergy-related activity
What it found
In lab tests, digested egg white lysozyme kept its ability to bind allergy antibodies and activate immune cells.
The authors say stomach acid levels strongly affect how much of it breaks down.
What they found
Animal and lab studies
Digestion and antibody binding
After simulated stomach and stomach-plus-duodenal digestion, the mixtures still bound IgE antibodies. This was seen in lab tests.
Basophil activation
The digested lysozyme still triggered basophil degranulation in lab tests. This suggests it can activate immune cells involved in allergy.
T-cell response
The digests preserved T-cell immunogenicity in peripheral blood mononuclear cell stimulation experiments. This was measured in lab tests.
Intact protein and fragments
The activity came from intact lysozyme that survived stomach digestion and then precipitated in the duodenum, from a fragment called f(24-129) made by chymotrypsin, or from immunoreactive peptides linked by disulphide bonds containing epitopes f(57-83) and f(108-122).
Stomach pH matters
The pH of gastric hydrolysis greatly determined how much lysozyme was later digested in the duodenum and which epitopes were exposed. This could increase its allergenic potential.
What the authors conclude
“The pH of gastric hydrolysis greatly determined the extent of subsequent duodenal digestion of LYS and the disclosure of relevant epitopes that could increase its allergenic potential.”
Also in their conclusions
- They say the pH of gastric hydrolysis greatly determined the extent of subsequent duodenal digestion of LYS and the disclosure of relevant epitopes that could increase its allergenic potential.
How it was done
Lysozyme is one of the major allergens in hen egg. The authors wanted to identify the pieces formed during digestion and see how they bind to allergy antibodies and affect immune cells, to understand why it is a relevant allergen.
They simulated stomach and intestinal digestion of lysozyme in the lab. They then tested the digested mixtures for IgE binding, basophil degranulation, and stimulation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells, and identified the fragments using mass spectrometry.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- These are lab tests, not studies in people. They can't show what happens when someone eats egg white.
- The tests used simulated digestion and immune cells in the lab, so they can't show whether these fragments cause allergic reactions in real life.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- Instituto de Investigación en Ciencias de la Alimentación (CIAL), Spain
The paper
- Title
- Immunological behavior of in vitro digested egg-white lysozyme
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Animals and lab studies
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Jiménez-Saiz R, Benedé S, Miralles B, López-Expósito I, Molina E, López-Fandiño R (2014). Immunological behavior of in vitro digested egg-white lysozyme. Molecular nutrition & food research. doi:10.1002/mnfr.201300442PubMed 24123796DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error