Nonspecific plasma proteins during sublingual immunotherapy.

Area of Science:

• Immunology
• Allergology
• Biochemistry

Background:

• Specific IgE and IgG are traditional markers for allergy assessment and immunotherapy follow-up.
• Nonspecific inflammatory markers, including soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1) and soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R), are emerging as valuable tools for allergy therapy control.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the utility of nonspecific inflammatory markers (sICAM-1, sIL-2R, sE-selectin) and specific IgG4 as indicators of treatment response in children undergoing sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) for inhalation allergies.

Main Methods:

• Plasma samples from 133 children with inhalation allergies and 42 healthy controls were analyzed using ELISA.
• Measurements included sICAM-1, sIL-2R, sE-selectin, interleukin-12 (IL-12), and specific IgG4.
• Analysis was performed before and after one year of SLIT.

Main Results:

• Concentrations of sICAM-1, sIL-2R, and sE-selectin significantly decreased after one year of SLIT across all patients.
• Specific decreases in sICAM-1 and sIL-2R were observed in grass and house dust mite allergic groups.
• sE-selectin levels significantly declined only in the birch pollen allergy group.
• Interleukin-12 and IgG4 levels showed no significant changes.
• Analyzed parameters were not found to be age-dependent in control groups.

Conclusions:

• Nonspecific inflammatory markers like sICAM-1, sIL-2R, and sE-selectin can serve as additional biomarkers for assessing immunological effects during allergy immunotherapy.
• These markers may aid in the follow-up evaluation of treatment efficacy in allergic conditions.