title: T-cell responses during allergen-specific immunotherapy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Allergen-specific immunotherapy is the only specific, dose-dependent and time-dependent and disease-modifying strategy for the treatment of allergy associated with clinical improvement and biological tolerance which may persist years after discontinuation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Successful immunotherapy in respiratory allergy is associated with the immunodeviation of Th2 response to a more protective allergen-specific Th1 cells and with the induction of interleukin-10 (IL-10)/transforming growth factor (TGF)-β-producing T regulatory cells in blood and inflamed airways. Subcutaneous treatment and sublingual treatments induce similar alterations which are dose-dependent and time-dependent.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study provides an update on the immunological T-cell responses during subcutanous immunotherapy and sublingual immunotherapy, giving a unifying view of the redirecting mechanisms and regulating mechanisms elicited by these treatments.
authors.affiliation: Section of Immunoallergology, Department of Internal Medicine, Center of Research, Transfer and High Education DENOTHE, University of Florence, Florence, Italy. e.maggi@dmi.unifi.it
authors.forename: Enrico
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Maggi
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vultaggio
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Matucci
mesh_terms: D000286:Administration, Sublingual; D000485:Allergens / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology*; D003888:Desensitization, Immunologic / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000276:immunology* / Q000628:therapy*; D007279:Injections, Subcutaneous; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000485:Allergens