Study on Lowering the Group 1 Protease Allergens from House Dust Mites by Exposing to Todomatsu Oil Atmosphere
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
In this paper, the authors investigated the effect of todomatsu oil on the allergenicity induced by group 1 protease allergens from house dust mite. The topic is of interest to readers. I have some comments listed below.
1. Figure 1 and 2: How many independent experiments were included in the analysis? Did the difference among different groups achieved statistical significance?
2. Figure1: Please add the notations of A, B, and C in the legend of Figure 1.
3. The authors determined the effect of todomatsu oil on Der f1. How about the effect on Der p1?
Author Response
Dear reviewer 1
Thank you very much for your advice and valuable indication. With your reasonable comments, the entire manuscript has been revised and rewritten carefully, as well as checked by one native English speaker. We would like to show the answer for each comment as possible. Please review these newly revised and rewritten parts again. Thank you very much from my heart.
Author Response File: 
Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 2 Report
This is a very interesting paper. It has been well-written and well-described.
I would have the following two recommendations:
The authors should add a limitations subsection in Discussion section. In this subsection, the authors should say that an in vivo studies will be able to shed more light on the effectiveness of todomatsu oil. Although in vitro studies were well conducted in had a good result, it’s still an controlled environment and outside of the human body. Say that In the natural environment the results will not be as straightforward and depend on many environmental and biological factors.
In introduction, authors should add information about in vivo studies and/or epidemiological studies about the effectiveness of todomatsu oil or similar remedy. Then the authors should explain why they are not doing in vivo studies as well.
Everything else is fine.
Author Response
Dear reviewer 2
Thank you very much for your advice and valuable indication. With your reasonable
comments, the entire manuscript has been revised carefully and checked by one native
English speaker. We would like to show the answer for each comment as possible. Please
review these newly revised parts again. Thank you very much from my heart.
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 3 Report
The authors carried out experiments to reduce the allergenicity of dust mite main allergen, cysteine protease by introducing todomatsu oil to the allergen. They found the components of todomatsu oil bound the protease and concluded that this oil could prevent dust mite allergy. However, this conclusion is too premature and is not supported by adequate experiments. The authors supported that conclusion only from the IgG inhibition assay. Although IgG assay could be used to determine the immunogenicity of the protein, allergenicity has different characteristics. The authors used an IgG monoclonal antibody to study the allergenicity of the cysteine protease. However, as known already, allergy is caused by IgE binding against the allergens and this IgE antibody is a polyclonal antibody. A reduction in the IgG monoclonal antibody binding activity doesn't reflect a reduction in the allergenicity. If the authors want to study allergy prevention, a cell-based assay or mice model is more suitable.
Minor comment: Please refer to WHO/IUIS Allergen Nomenclature for the correct number of dust mite allergens (Line 37).
Author Response
Dear reviewer 3
Thank you very much for your advice and valuable indication. With your reasonable comments, the entire manuscript has been revised and rewritten carefully for the English language and contents, as well as checked by one native English speaker. We would like to show the answer for each comment as possible. Please review these newly revised and rewritten parts again. Thank you very much from my heart.
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 4 Report
In their manuscript, Lin et al. describe the use of incredients of todomatsu oil to lower allergenicity of house dust mite feces including in silico studies on the binding of some of the compounds to the major allergens Der p 1 and Der f 1. The study is well designed and carried out. The study should be published provided a few minor point are addressed.
1. The English needs some editing. The long sentences and in some cases also the wording that the authors used render the manuscript difficult to read. For instance, the sentence on lines 21 and 22 is ununderstandable. More sentences like that are found in the manuscript. Wordings e.g.: line 52: construction is inappropriate; synthesis might be more suitable. More examples like that can be found in the text e.g.:line 301 concentration instead of dose.
2. Sachalinensis should written with lower case on line 14, 91, 325, 370,392.
3. Line 151: TMB should be written out.
4. Table 3: More space is needed for in some example of the docking AA. The data of 2D complex representation need to be enlarged. Some of the description are really tiny.
5. The content of the various compounds studied in todomatsu oil should be provided. It is only described for two compounds in the discussion. Should included in table 1.
Author Response
Dear reviewer 4
Thank you very much for your advice and valuable indication. With your reasonable comments, the entire manuscript has been revised carefully for the English language and contents, as well as checked by one native English speaker. We would like to show the answer for each comment as possible. Please review these newly revised parts again. Thank you very much from my heart.
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 5 Report
This study investigated the in-vitro suppression of Der p 1 and Der f 1 by todomatsu oil and found an inhibition rate of 20-40%. A few queries for the authors.
1. Extraction of allergens was by PBS at 4oC. Why 4oC as that extraction temperature has been shown to under extract compared to room temperature (Siebers R, et al. The effects of temperature and buffer on the extraction of Der p 1 from dust. J Allergy Clin Immunol 1997; 100: 580).
2. How many dust samples were collected and how many of these were extracted and used in the studies?
3. What were the Der p 1 and Der f 1 levels?
Author Response
Dear reviewer 5
Thank you very much for your advice and valuable indication. With your reasonable comments, the entire manuscript has been revised carefully and checked by one native English speaker. We would like to show the answer for each comment as possible. Please review these newly revised parts again. Thank you very much from my heart.
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 6 Report
Please see the file attached.
Comments for author File: Comments.pdf
Author Response
Dear reviewer 6
Thank you very much for your advice and valuable indication. With your reasonable comments, the entire manuscript has been revised carefully for the English language and contents, as well as checked by one native English speaker. We would like to show the answer for each comment as possible. Please review these newly revised parts again. Thank you very much from my heart.
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Round 2
Reviewer 1 Report
The authors have answered my questions properly. I have one more minor comment. Please show both the mean/ median and standard deviation in the figures wherever it applies.
Author Response
Dear reviewer 1
Thank you very much for your advice and valuable indication. With your reasonable comments, the manuscript has been revised carefully once more. We would like to show the answer for each comment as possible. Please review these newly revised again. Thank you very much from my heart.
Sincerely,
Professor WANG QINGYUE (O Seiyo), Dr. LIN YICHUN
Department of Applied Chemistry (Faculty of Engineering) Ecochemistry for Environmental Science (Faculty of Engineering) Department of Environmental Science & Technology (Master Course) Program of Environmental Science and Civil Engineering (Doctral Course) Graduate School of Science & Engineering, Saitama University,
255 Shimo-Okubo, Sakura-ku, Saitama City, Saitama 338-8570, JAPAN
TEL&FAX: +81 (48) 8583733 or FAX: +81 (48) 8589542 MOBILE PHONE: +81 (90) 86492755
E-MAIL: [email protected]; [email protected]
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 4 Report
Should be published now
Author Response
Dear reviewer 4
Thank you so much for your valuable advice and indication for improving the manuscript, as well as your approval of our manuscript.
Sincerely,
Professor WANG QINGYUE (O Seiyo), Dr. LIN YICHUN
Department of Applied Chemistry (Faculty of Engineering) Ecochemistry for Environmental Science (Faculty of Engineering) Department of Environmental Science & Technology (Master Course) Program of Environmental Science and Civil Engineering (Doctral Course) Graduate School of Science & Engineering, Saitama University,
255 Shimo-Okubo, Sakura-ku, Saitama City, Saitama 338-8570, JAPAN
TEL&FAX: +81 (48) 8583733 or FAX: +81 (48) 8589542 MOBILE PHONE: +81 (90) 86492755
E-MAIL: [email protected]; [email protected]
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 5 Report
The authors have addressed my comments to my satisfaction.
Author Response
Dear reviewer 5
Thank you so much for your valuable advice and indication for improving the manuscript, as well as your approval of our manuscript.
Sincerely,
Professor WANG QINGYUE (O Seiyo), Dr. LIN YICHUN
Department of Applied Chemistry (Faculty of Engineering) Ecochemistry for Environmental Science (Faculty of Engineering) Department of Environmental Science & Technology (Master Course) Program of Environmental Science and Civil Engineering (Doctral Course) Graduate School of Science & Engineering, Saitama University,
255 Shimo-Okubo, Sakura-ku, Saitama City, Saitama 338-8570, JAPAN
TEL&FAX: +81 (48) 8583733 or FAX: +81 (48) 8589542 MOBILE PHONE: +81 (90) 86492755
E-MAIL: [email protected]; [email protected]
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 6 Report
The revisions were well performed in several parts of the manuscript, as suggested.
Author Response
Dear reviewer 6
Thank you so much for your valuable advice and indication for improving the manuscript, as well as your approval of our manuscript.
Sincerely,
Professor WANG QINGYUE (O Seiyo), Dr. LIN YICHUN
Department of Applied Chemistry (Faculty of Engineering) Ecochemistry for Environmental Science (Faculty of Engineering) Department of Environmental Science & Technology (Master Course) Program of Environmental Science and Civil Engineering (Doctral Course) Graduate School of Science & Engineering, Saitama University,
255 Shimo-Okubo, Sakura-ku, Saitama City, Saitama 338-8570, JAPAN
TEL&FAX: +81 (48) 8583733 or FAX: +81 (48) 8589542 MOBILE PHONE: +81 (90) 86492755
E-MAIL: [email protected]; [email protected]
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
