Allergen-specific immunotherapy(AIT)is the only treatment that addresses the root cause of immunoglobulin E(IgE)-mediated allergies,but conventional methods face challenges with treatment duration,patient compliance,a...Allergen-specific immunotherapy(AIT)is the only treatment that addresses the root cause of immunoglobulin E(IgE)-mediated allergies,but conventional methods face challenges with treatment duration,patient compliance,and adverse effects.In this study,we propose intratonsillar immunotherapy(ITIT)as a new effective and safer route for AIT.Prior to clinical trials,we analyzed tonsil samples from human subjects to assess immune responses,measuring interleukin-4(IL-4),IL-21,total IgE(tIgE),and allergen-specific IgE concentrations using ELISA and BioIC.Our results indicated that tonsils contained higher levels of allergen-specific IgE compared to peripheral blood.In the clinical phase,120 allergic rhinitis(AR)patients were treated with either 3 intratonsillar allergen injections over 2 months or conventional subcutaneous immunotherapy(SCIT)over 1 year.ITIT demonstrated superior and faster symptom relief,especially in younger patients,while requiring markedly fewer doses and injections than SCIT.Immunological analysis revealed reduced eosinophil counts,increased regulatory T(T_(reg))and follicular regulatory T(T_(FR))cell levels,and a favorable shift in cytokine profiles.Adverse events were minimal,and the treatment showed high patient compliance.These findings suggest that ITIT could provide an effective,safer,and more convenient alternative to AIT.展开更多
基金supported by grants from the National Key Research and Development Program of China(NKRD,no.2023YFC2507905 to Y.X.)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(NSFC,nos.82271134,82071017,and 81770986 to Y.X.+1 种基金no.82201250 to L.T.)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities(no.2042022kf1113 to Y.X.).
文摘Allergen-specific immunotherapy(AIT)is the only treatment that addresses the root cause of immunoglobulin E(IgE)-mediated allergies,but conventional methods face challenges with treatment duration,patient compliance,and adverse effects.In this study,we propose intratonsillar immunotherapy(ITIT)as a new effective and safer route for AIT.Prior to clinical trials,we analyzed tonsil samples from human subjects to assess immune responses,measuring interleukin-4(IL-4),IL-21,total IgE(tIgE),and allergen-specific IgE concentrations using ELISA and BioIC.Our results indicated that tonsils contained higher levels of allergen-specific IgE compared to peripheral blood.In the clinical phase,120 allergic rhinitis(AR)patients were treated with either 3 intratonsillar allergen injections over 2 months or conventional subcutaneous immunotherapy(SCIT)over 1 year.ITIT demonstrated superior and faster symptom relief,especially in younger patients,while requiring markedly fewer doses and injections than SCIT.Immunological analysis revealed reduced eosinophil counts,increased regulatory T(T_(reg))and follicular regulatory T(T_(FR))cell levels,and a favorable shift in cytokine profiles.Adverse events were minimal,and the treatment showed high patient compliance.These findings suggest that ITIT could provide an effective,safer,and more convenient alternative to AIT.
