Abstract:

OBJECTIVE: To establish an allergic rhinitis model induced by ovalbumin (OVA) in guinea pigs and identify the characteristics in clinical symptoms，pathology and immunology. METHODS：Hartley guinea pigs were randomly divided into two groups：normal group and model group. The model animals were sensitized systematically with 0.8 ml suspension containing OVA，aluminium hydroxide gel and physiological saline (0.2 mg：0.3 ml：0.5 ml)，by intraperitoneal injection and topically sensitized with 60 mg/ml ovalbumin dissolved in physiological saline by intranasal instillation，20 μl each nostril，for 21 days. After an interval of one week，the sensitized animals were challenged with 60 mg/ml ovalbumin，50 μl/kg each nostril，once daily for a week and one time every two days for two weeks. The normal animals were treated with physiological saline instead of the OVA suspension and solution for intraperitoneal injection and intranasal instillation. The symptoms of allergic rhinitis，such as sneezing，nose rubbing，lacrimation， nasal congestion and rhinorrhea were observed after every challenge. The serum and the nasal mucosas were prepared for the detection of IgE and histamine contents and histological examination. RESULTS：Compared with normal group animals，guinea pigs in the model group developed typical clinical symptoms，indicated by the increasing numbers of sneezing and nose rubbing，higher levels of the histamine and serum IgE (P＜0.05).  Pathological alterations in the nasal mucosa included eosinophil infiltration，vasodilatation and epithelial exfoliation. CONCLUSION：An OVA-induced model of AR in guinea pigs was established，mimicking the clinical characteristics of human AR and can be used in the mechanism study and the drug development for AR.

Key words: ovalbumin, allergic rhinitis, guinea pig, model