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Class Notes for Chemistry of Drugs
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CHEM 183Allergies A
Allergies can be kind of annoying, very mild, or lethal.
A story about a man and his confrontation with a tomato sandwich:
He was in a local hospital’s cafeteria. He asked the lady working the counter to change her gloves because he
thought she might have touched a tomato with her gloves. She thought it was ridiculous, especially since the
request was being asked in English and her reservation was that it should've been in French. So after the
heated confrontation, she took a tomato sandwich and hurled it at the guy. He then had a severe allergic
reaction but could get immediate medical attention. He was treated at the emergency room and then he was
released. And the lady was required by law to stay at least 100m away from Mr. Montreuil for a year or face
prison on charges of attack with a lethal weapon. Goes to show you can confront an allergen in a very strange
fashion.
Ariana Grande is also allergic to tomatoes. But she didn’t have an allergy before. Allergies can happen at any
time in life.
Reason:
● Tomato allergies are generally due to compounds called Salicylates.
○ Salicylates are found in:
■ Variety of plants
■ Oil of Wintergreen (Has Methyl Salicylate which can be converted to salicylic acid via
Hydrolysis)
■ Willow bark (Has Salicin which can be converted to salicylic acid via Hydrolysis & Oxidation)
■ Salicylic acid
● Salicylic Acid in labs can be converted to Aspirin. (Via Acetylation)
○ So generally people that have an allergy to Aspirin may also have an allergy to tomatoes.
Allergy:
● Any adverse reaction to substances that are normally harmless.
○ Ranges from very severe to very mild.
● Any adverse reaction to normally harmless substances where IgE antibodies are involved.
○ What’s happening is that there’s a change in body chemistry and antibodies are being produced by the
cells of the immune system in response to exposure to a substance.
○ Antibodies are special proteins that recognize a foreign intruder.
○ There must have been prior exposure to the substance that triggers the production of IgE, so these
antibodies are floating around in the bloodstream to target the attacker. So allergies trigger a reaction.
● 10-20% of the population suffers from some sort of allergy.
● You can not have an allergic reaction to a substance to which you have not been previously exposed.
● Richer countries have a higher prevalence of allergies.
○ Not clear why.
○ Hygiene hypothesis - Countries that have lower hygiene practices have a lower incidence of allergies.
● Anaphylaxis - Worst possible form of allergic reaction.
○ Rapidly progressing, life-threatening allergic reaction.
○ Impairs breathing.
○ Drops blood pressure dramatically.
, ○ Can lead to death.
● Atopy
○ The genetic tendency to develop the classic allergic diseases
■ Atopic Dermatitis - is usually present in babies which have inflammation of the skin.
■ Allergic Rhinitis - runny nose
■ Asthma - impaired breathing
■ Food allergy -
○ Atopic babies might have skin rashes like eczema. There’s a chance that there will be some
manifestation of some sort of food allergy, and perhaps asthma later in life.
○ Hence, atopic people are prone to allergic conditions.
○ Most common variety of allergic conditions is Allergic Rhinitis - which is a stuffy nose, sneezing, etc.
and watery eyes. It is commonly referred to as Hay Fever - a misnomer because you can get allergic
rhinitis from other substances like - Pollen, Dust, Pet Hair, and Mold. Very unlikely for some to have
an allergy to hay.
■ Up to 50% of people may develop asthma.
■ Classic Symptoms of Allergic Rhinitis -
● Red, itchy, watery eyes.
● Sneezing, congestion, runny nose.
● Itchy or sore throat, post-nasal drip, cough.
● Itchy ears, buzzing sound.
■ Story: A bunch of frat brothers invited a bunch of sorority girls to a house party that was filled with
hay. A number of them ended up in the hospital. Turns out it was not because of the hay, but
rather from the hay being moldy. Clean hay doesn’t cause a problem.
■ Pollen (part of the reproduction cycle for plants, sperm for plants basically) contains a bunch of
proteins that cause the allergic reaction. E.g, Ragweed, grows wildly in areas of North America. It
releases protein, it harbors various proteins, and some of them cause the allergic reaction. The
pollen gets into the nose and the body reacts by creating antibodies (allergen antibody
reaction) - causing Hay Fever/ Allergic Rhinitis.
● Children who at the age of 1 ate fish (oil) at least once a month were 30% less likely to develop hay fever
by age 12.
○ Anti-inflammatory properties of Omega-3 Fats?
■ Omega-3 has a double bond on the third carbon from the end.
■ Omega-3 decreases the risk of irregular heartbeats.
○ Contention: Can the rise in allergies be due to a change in the ratio of Omega-3 to Omega-6?
■ It’s true that we have more vegetable fats in our diet, which have Omega-6. So some researchers
say that the uptake of more vegetable oils might be the cause for the onset of the increase in
allergies.
○ Another contention: Fish have Vitamin D. And the lack thereof can cause allergies.
○ BUT - fish can also harbor mercury which is problematic for children. Large predator fishes like large
tuna, shark, swordfish, etc. are high in mercury. Salmon, mackerel, and haddock are examples of good
fishes low in mercury.
○ Also possible that babies that get fed fish earlier on in life are healthier because they live in a
home with a healthier lifestyle (varied diet).
● Other Symptoms:
○ Geographic Tongue - a tongue exposed to an allergen, not a painful one
● Animals can also provoke allergic reactions.
○ Dead skin cells from cats.
■ Their shed hair contains dead skin cells, which contain proteins that provoke a.r.
■ Black cats are more allergenic than white cats.
○ People with allergies to other things like grass, mold, dust, etc. but not allergic to cats got their allergies
anyway.
, ○ Dust Mites
■ Microscopic
■ Probably crawling over our bodies rn
■ Eats remnants of our cells
■ (Fecal matter) Shits out some proteins that are highly allergenic.
■ Asthmatic children might have more airborne mite exposure.
■ Antigen is the term that is used for the specific substance to which we develop an allergy.
(Usually, a protein, not exclusively though.)
■ Important to get rid of dust by vacuuming.
■ Asthmatic ma’fks will live better if the home doesn’t have carpeting, as it is a source of dust.
■ So dust mites can provoke asthmatic reactions.
● Total Allergy Syndrome
○ People who are allergic to almost anything.
○ Can’t have close contact with people since they might react to the soaps or perfume they’re wearing.
○ Even the paint on the wall can be a problem, hence they need to cover walls with things like aluminum
foil.
○ Comes about after one significant exposure to some sort of toxin. E.g, someone may have painted a
house and were very irritated by the smell of the paint and that has somehow triggered their immune
system into hyperactivity such that now it reacts to almost everything they come in contact with.
○ There might be a psychogenic component to how it comes about as well - where they have
psychological issues and overly worry about things such as toxins in the world, which then manifests into
TAS.
● Food Allergies
○ 4% of adults have food allergies.
○ It is possible for some people to be allergic to any food out there. Although there are some foods that are
more likely to cause allergies, such as fish.
○ A very little amount of a material/substance can lead someone to develop serious allergic reactions.
■ Story: A 23-year-old man died in less than half an hour after having smoked salmon.
○ Sometimes you can’t know if you have the antibodies for a certain substance, hence not knowing if you’ll
have an allergic reaction anyway to a “new” substance.
■ Marshmallows are formulated with gelatin, a protein, and gelatin is also used as a stabilizer in
vaccines. So a vaccine might trigger someone’s allergies because of the gelatin.
■ Royal Jelly is secreted from the glands in the heads of worker bees and is fed to all bee larvae,
whether they are destined to become drones (males), workers (sterile females), or queens (fertile
females). After three days, the drone and worker larvae are no longer fed royal jelly, but the
queen larvae continue to be fed this special substance throughout their development.
● It contains pollen, as it is collected from many flowers. And someone might have been
exposed to that particular pollen early on in life.
○ When we are talking about food allergies, we are talking about some sort of protein (most of the time)
that the body thinks is a dangerous material and mounts an attack against it.
○ Most Common Food Allergies. (i.e. most allergenic foods)
■ Tree Nuts
■ Soy
■ Fish
■ Peanuts
■ Shellfish
■ Eggs
■ Wheat
■ Dairy
○ Symptoms
■ Bag under the eyes
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