The potential of diamine oxidases for the treatment of histamine intolerance

A glass of wine, accompanied by aged cheese and salami – for most people this is associated with pleasure and enjoyment. For a few, however, it triggers profound discomfort, as allergy-like symptoms such as itching or gastrointestinal complaints occur. This can often be traced back to histamine intolerance.
The biogenic amine histamine is present in a wide variety of foods, especially fermented and spoiled foods. Dietary histamine is naturally degraded in the small intestine by the enzyme diamine oxidase (DAO). In the case of histamine intolerance, the available DAO activity is insufficient for the degradation of the ingested histamine.
The research reported in this thesis shall contribute to the expansion of knowledge about current and prospective treatment approaches by providing active DAO preparations. These could sufficiently support the endogenous DAO in the human small intestine and thus contribute to the treatment of histamine intolerance.