Intratonsillar Immunotherapy: A Convenient and Effective Alternative to Subcutaneous Immunotherapy for Allergic Rhinitis
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 (I...
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American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Research |
| Online Access: | https://spj.science.org/doi/10.34133/research.0573 |
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| author | Tian Gu Wei Zhang Lu Tan Rong Xiang Peiqiang Liu Jingyu Huang Qin Deng Yuqin Deng Zezhang Tao Shiming Chen Yu Xu |
| author_facet | Tian Gu Wei Zhang Lu Tan Rong Xiang Peiqiang Liu Jingyu Huang Qin Deng Yuqin Deng Zezhang Tao Shiming Chen Yu Xu |
| author_sort | Tian Gu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | 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 (Treg) and follicular regulatory T (TFR) 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. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-9defb477d88c4a4d87666cb5d77d7ea0 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2639-5274 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) |
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| series | Research |
| spelling | doaj-art-9defb477d88c4a4d87666cb5d77d7ea02025-01-16T08:02:22ZengAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)Research2639-52742025-01-01810.34133/research.0573Intratonsillar Immunotherapy: A Convenient and Effective Alternative to Subcutaneous Immunotherapy for Allergic RhinitisTian Gu0Wei Zhang1Lu Tan2Rong Xiang3Peiqiang Liu4Jingyu Huang5Qin Deng6Yuqin Deng7Zezhang Tao8Shiming Chen9Yu Xu10Department of Rhinology and Allergy, Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Center, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430060, China.Department of Rhinology and Allergy, Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Center, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430060, China.Department of Rhinology and Allergy, Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Center, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430060, China.Department of Rhinology and Allergy, Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Center, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430060, China.Department of Rhinology and Allergy, Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Center, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430060, China.Department of Rhinology and Allergy, Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Center, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430060, China.Department of Rhinology and Allergy, Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Center, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430060, China.Department of Rhinology and Allergy, Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Center, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430060, China.Department of Rhinology and Allergy, Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Center, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430060, China.Department of Rhinology and Allergy, Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Center, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430060, China.Department of Rhinology and Allergy, Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Center, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430060, China.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 (Treg) and follicular regulatory T (TFR) 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.https://spj.science.org/doi/10.34133/research.0573 |
| spellingShingle | Tian Gu Wei Zhang Lu Tan Rong Xiang Peiqiang Liu Jingyu Huang Qin Deng Yuqin Deng Zezhang Tao Shiming Chen Yu Xu Intratonsillar Immunotherapy: A Convenient and Effective Alternative to Subcutaneous Immunotherapy for Allergic Rhinitis Research |
| title | Intratonsillar Immunotherapy: A Convenient and Effective Alternative to Subcutaneous Immunotherapy for Allergic Rhinitis |
| title_full | Intratonsillar Immunotherapy: A Convenient and Effective Alternative to Subcutaneous Immunotherapy for Allergic Rhinitis |
| title_fullStr | Intratonsillar Immunotherapy: A Convenient and Effective Alternative to Subcutaneous Immunotherapy for Allergic Rhinitis |
| title_full_unstemmed | Intratonsillar Immunotherapy: A Convenient and Effective Alternative to Subcutaneous Immunotherapy for Allergic Rhinitis |
| title_short | Intratonsillar Immunotherapy: A Convenient and Effective Alternative to Subcutaneous Immunotherapy for Allergic Rhinitis |
| title_sort | intratonsillar immunotherapy a convenient and effective alternative to subcutaneous immunotherapy for allergic rhinitis |
| url | https://spj.science.org/doi/10.34133/research.0573 |
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