Adenovirus-Mediated ICOSIg Gene Therapy in a Presensitized Murine Model of Allergic Rhinitis

Allergic rhinitis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the upper airways caused by Th2 cell-type cytokines in response to allergen exposure. The inducible costimulator (ICOS), the third member of the CD28/CTLA4 family, plays an important role in immune response. In this study, adenovirus vectors containing ICOSIg (Adex1CAICOSIg) were administered to effectively inhibit the ICOS/ICOSL interaction, and the effects of Adex1CAICOSIg on allergic rhinitis were examined. Intranasal administration of Adex1CAICOSIg attenuated airway inflammation, as demonstrated by a decrease in nasal symptoms and infiltration of eosinophils into the nasal mucosa, as well as by a decrease in local IL-5 expression. Therefore, the ICOS/ICOSL pathway significantly contributes to the progression of allergic rhinitis.