Repeated shrimp allergen exposure drives 5-lipoxygenase-dependent avoidance and selective gut-brain activation
- 1Arizona State University
Abstract
Peripheral immune processes can shape animal behavior, yet how noninfectious inflammatory reactions affect neural activity and behavioral outputs remains poorly understood. We developed an optimized murine model of shrimp allergy using whole shrimp extract to examine how a complex dietary allergen elicits integrated immune, neural, and behavioral responses. Sensitized mice received repeated oral shrimp challenges and were assessed for allergic pathology, food preference, affective-like behaviors, and neuronal activation in the brain. Repeated exposure increased total IgE and shrimp-specific IgG1, induced mast cell activation, accelerated gastrointestinal transit, caused mild hypothermia consistent with oral anaphylaxis, and increased intestinal length. Shrimp-sensitized mice did not avoid shrimp solution after sensitization alone. Instead, avoidance emerged only after repeated oral challenges and strengthened over time. This delayed aversion occurred without detectable changes in locomotor activity or measures of anxiety-like or depressive-like behavior at the time points tested. Repeated shrimp exposure increased cFOS expression in the area postrema, nucleus of the tractus solitarius, central amygdala, and paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus, implicating brainstem and limbic-thalamic pathways involved in visceral sensing and aversion. Pharmacological inhibition of 5-lipoxygenase partially reversed avoidance and reduced circulating mast cell protease-1 in allergic mice. These findings establish a robust whole-shrimp allergy model and show that a complex food allergen engages gut-brain pathways to promote 5-lipoxygenase-dependent avoidance. The delayed, selective nature of this response supports immune-mediated food aversion as a shared output of food allergy, while suggesting that its kinetics and neural recruitment vary with allergen identity and inflammatory context.
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BibTeX
@misc{andrade2026repeated,
title = {{Repeated shrimp allergen exposure drives 5-lipoxygenase-dependent avoidance and selective gut-brain activation}},
author = {C. M. Andrade and N. de Souza Pinto and B. G. Costa Lima and A. C. Roginski and I. da SIlva Goncalves and R. C. Silva and L. M. Pilger and A. M. Lago de Castro Leal and G. d. S. Duarte and N. Machado Tavares and T. U. Maioli and A. M. C. Faria and C. Brodskyn and E. B. Florsheim},
howpublished = {bioRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.64898/2026.09.09.750437},
url = {https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.09.750437v1},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Repeated shrimp allergen exposure drives 5-lipoxygenase-dependent avoidance and selective gut-brain activation
AU - C. M. Andrade
AU - N. de Souza Pinto
AU - B. G. Costa Lima
AU - A. C. Roginski
AU - I. da SIlva Goncalves
AU - R. C. Silva
AU - L. M. Pilger
AU - A. M. Lago de Castro Leal
AU - G. d. S. Duarte
AU - N. Machado Tavares
AU - T. U. Maioli
AU - A. M. C. Faria
AU - C. Brodskyn
AU - E. B. Florsheim
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/09
PB - bioRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.09.09.750437
UR - https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.09.750437v1
AB - Peripheral immune processes can shape animal behavior, yet how noninfectious inflammatory reactions affect neural activity and behavioral outputs remains poorly understood. We developed an optimized murine model of shrimp allergy using whole shrimp extract to examine how a complex dietary allergen elicits integrated immune, neural, and behavioral responses. Sensitized mice received repeated oral shrimp challenges and were assessed for allergic pathology, food preference, affective-like behaviors, and neuronal activation in the brain. Repeated exposure increased total IgE and shrimp-specific IgG1, induced mast cell activation, accelerated gastrointestinal transit, caused mild hypothermia consistent with oral anaphylaxis, and increased intestinal length. Shrimp-sensitized mice did not avoid shrimp solution after sensitization alone. Instead, avoidance emerged only after repeated oral challenges and strengthened over time. This delayed aversion occurred without detectable changes in locomotor activity or measures of anxiety-like or depressive-like behavior at the time points tested. Repeated shrimp exposure increased cFOS expression in the area postrema, nucleus of the tractus solitarius, central amygdala, and paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus, implicating brainstem and limbic-thalamic pathways involved in visceral sensing and aversion. Pharmacological inhibition of 5-lipoxygenase partially reversed avoidance and reduced circulating mast cell protease-1 in allergic mice. These findings establish a robust whole-shrimp allergy model and show that a complex food allergen engages gut-brain pathways to promote 5-lipoxygenase-dependent avoidance. The delayed, selective nature of this response supports immune-mediated food aversion as a shared output of food allergy, while suggesting that its kinetics and neural recruitment vary with allergen identity and inflammatory context.
ER -