title: Sublingual immunotherapy may affect serum neopterin: preliminary findings.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Neopterin is a protein produced by monocytes/macrophages. It has been considered a biomarker of immune activation in several disorders. However, there are few studies in allergic rhinitis (AR). This study evaluated the serum neopterin levels in patients with pollen-induced AR or treated with sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) and in healthy subjects.
  
  
  METHODS
  146 subjects (70 males, median age 30.5 years): 56 with moderate-severe persistent AR, 40 with AR and successfully treated with 2 year SLIT, and 50 healthy controls were consecutively evaluated outside the pollen season. A skin prick test and blood sampling for assessing serum neopterin levels were performed in all subjects.
  
  
  RESULTS
  SLIT-treated patients had lower neopterin levels than untreated patients and healthy subjects (respectively p=0.012 and p=0.0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Neopterin is a biomarker for immune activation, SLIT may affect serum neopterin probably as a consequence of Treg response to SLIT.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria San Martino, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy. gio.cip@libero.it
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ciprandi
authors.forename: Mara
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: De Amici
authors.forename: Gianluigi
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Marseglia
authors.forename: Dietmar
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fuchs
mesh_terms: D000286:Administration, Sublingual; D000328:Adult; D000485:Allergens / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007167:Immunotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D019798:Neopterin / Q000097:blood*; D011058:Pollen / Q000276:immunology*; D006255:Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal / Q000097:blood / Q000628:therapy*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
chemical_list: D000485:Allergens; D019798:Neopterin