Immune mechanisms of oral immunotherapy

Michael D Kulis; Sarita U Patil; Erik Wambre; Brian P Vickery

doi:10.1016/j.jaci.2017.12.979

Immune mechanisms of oral immunotherapy

J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2018 Feb;141(2):491-498. doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2017.12.979. Epub 2017 Dec 26.

Authors

Michael D Kulis¹, Sarita U Patil², Erik Wambre³, Brian P Vickery⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pediatrics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC.
² Department of Pediatrics, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Mass.
³ Department of Immunology, Benaroya Research Institute, Seattle, Wash.
⁴ Department of Pediatrics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC. Electronic address: bvickery@email.unc.edu.

Abstract

Oral immunotherapy (OIT) has demonstrated reproducibly successful desensitization in patients with food allergy completing clinical trials and, in some studies, sustained unresponsiveness. These clinical outcomes have been associated with characteristic modifications in the allergen-specific immune response, but a detailed synthesis of OIT's mechanisms of action is lacking. In this rostrum we review the current evidence regarding the human immune response to OIT, explore possible mechanisms, and identify knowledge gaps for future research.

Keywords: B cells; Oral immunotherapy; T cells; antibodies; basophils; desensitization; immune mechanisms; mast cells; sustained unresponsiveness.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Administration, Oral
Allergens* / immunology
Allergens* / therapeutic use
Desensitization, Immunologic / methods*
Food Hypersensitivity* / immunology
Food Hypersensitivity* / pathology
Food Hypersensitivity* / therapy
Humans

Substances

Allergens

Grants and funding

K23 AI121491/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States