title: Mechanisms of sublingual immunotherapy.
abstract: Allergen-specific sublingual immunotherapy is now recognized to be an efficacious and well-tolerated treatment for allergic rhinitis. Emerging treatment strategies are also aimed at the primary treatment of allergic asthma, particularly allergy to house dust mites. Knowledge of the exact mechanisms of action of sublingual immunotherapy is at a basic level, although there appear to be similarities to the immunological changes seen in subcutaneous immunotherapy. An improved understanding should allow the development of more effective treatment programs and widen the potential use of this form of immunotherapy. This review discusses the possible mechanism of action of sublingual immunotherapy, including data from animal and clinical studies, while comparing this with the current understanding of subcutaneous immunotherapy.
authors.affiliation: Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Imperial College, London, UK.
authors.forename: Guy
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Scadding
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Durham
mesh_terms: D000286:Administration, Sublingual; D000818:Animals; D001249:Asthma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology; D003888:Desensitization, Immunologic / Q000379:methods*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007279:Injections, Subcutaneous; D008297:Male; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000187:drug effects; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011788:Quality of Life; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012220:Rhinitis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology*; D012221:Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology; D006255:Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D016896:Treatment Outcome