Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2016 Aug;117(2):138-42.
doi: 10.1016/j.anai.2016.06.027.

Basic science for the clinician: Mechanisms of sublingual and subcutaneous immunotherapy

Monica G Lawrence  1 , John W Steinke  2 , Larry Borish  3
Affiliations
Review

Basic science for the clinician: Mechanisms of sublingual and subcutaneous immunotherapy

Monica G Lawrence et al. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2016 Aug.

Abstract

Objective: To discuss the general immunologic changes that occur during immunotherapy, focusing on the differences between subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) and sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT).

Data sources: PubMed literature review.

Study selections: Articles pertaining to SCIT and SLIT, with specific emphasis on those that included immune mechanistic studies.

Results: Both SCIT and SLIT are characterized by the induction of regulatory B and T cells, decreased allergen-specific T-cell proliferation, a shift from a TH2 to TH1 cytokine milieu and from an IgE to an IgG4/IgA antibody response. These changes are accompanied by clinical improvement in symptoms.

Conclusion: Immunotherapy using allergen extracts administered via both subcutaneous and sublingual approaches have demonstrated efficacy in the treatment of allergic rhinoconjunctivitis and other allergic conditions. There are subtle differences between the approaches, and understanding these differences may help clinicians select a preferred route of therapy for particular patients or allergens, depending on the immune response that is being targeted.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

All authors report no conflicts of interest

References

    1. Finegold I, Dockhorn RJ, Ein D, Dolen WK, Oppenheimer J, Potter LH. Immunotherapy throughout the decades: from Noon to now. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2010;105:328–336. quiz 337, 358. - PubMed
    1. Jay DC, Nadeau KC. Immune mechanisms of sublingual immunotherapy. Curr Allergy Asthma Rep. 2014;14:473. - PubMed
    1. Akdis CA, Blesken T, Akdis M, Wuthrich B, Blaser K. The role of IL-10 in specific immunotherapy. Journal of Clinical Investigation. 1998;102:98–106. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Francis JN, Till SJ, Durham SR. Induction of IL-10+CD4+CD25+ T cells by grass pollen immunotherapy. The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology. 2003;111:1255–1261. - PubMed
    1. Sakaguchi S. Regulatory T cells: key controllers of immunologic self-tolerance. Cell. 2000;101:455–458. - PubMed

MeSH terms