[The high-affinity IgE-receptor signaling pathway in the treatment of allergies]

Abstract

The rise in a prevalence of allergic diseases observed in industrialized countries over many years, and generally a rising number of the patients, require constant searching for newer and better ways of treatment. The central event in the formation of the allergic inflammation, the activation of mast cells and basophils, is mediated by signaling through the high-affinity IgE receptor, FcepsilonRI. The signaling starts by cross-linking of receptor-bound IgE with an allergen. This initiates a cascade of signaling events that activates the cell and ultimately causes the release of mediators responsible for allergic responses. The major flaw of medications traditionally used for the treatment of allergies is their orientation to single mediators, and not to the whole sequence of complex events leading to the onset of early and late symptoms. The aim of this paper was to review a complex sequence of events from the allergen binding to the onset of symptoms, highlighting the importance of the IgE-receptor signaling pathway in searching for new therapeutic modalities.