Effects of ozone in Plantago lanceolata and Salix atrocinerea pollen

Pollen can be modified by the increasing environmental pollution which can lead to a rising trend in pollen-induced respiratory allergies. The aim of this work was to study the fertility, protein profile and allergenicity of Plantago lanceolata and Salix atrocinerea pollen after exposure to ozone. The pollen collected directly from the anthers of both species was exposed to O3 in an environmental chamber, for 6 h at different concentrations. After exposing the pollen, viability tests and in vitro germination were performed. Total protein content was determined by the Bradford method, the polypeptides were separated by SDS-PAGE and the antigenic properties were analyzed by immunological techniques using patients’ sera. The concentrations of O3 tested affected the pollen fertility and the total protein content, but the protein profiles did not show any differences. Furthermore, the immunological tests revealed an increase in IgE binding reactivity when pollen was exposed to the pollutant.