Research Advances in the Treatment of Allergic Rhinitis by Probiotics

Abstract

Allergic rhinitis (AR) impairs the quality of life of patients and reduces the efficiency of social work, it is an increasingly serious public medical and economic problem in the world. Conventional anti-allergic drugs for the treatment of allergic rhinitis (AR) can cause certain side effects, which limit the quality of life of patients. Therefore, it makes sense to look for other forms of treatment. Several studies in recent years have shown that probiotics have shown anti-allergic effects in various mouse and human studies. For example, the application of certain probiotic strains can effectively relieve the typical nasal and ocular symptoms of allergic rhinitis in children and adults, thereby improving the quality of life and work efficiency. At the same time, previous studies in humans and mice have found that probiotics can produce multiple effects, such as reduction of Th2 cell inflammatory factors and/or increase of Th1 cell inflammatory factors, changes in allergy-related immunoglobulins and cell migration, regulate Th1/Th2 balance or restore intestinal microbiota disturbance. For patients with limited activity or allergic rhinitis with more attacks and longer attack duration, oral probiotics have positive effects. The efficacy of probiotics in the prevention and treatment of allergic rhinitis is remarkable, but its specific mechanism needs further study. This review summarizes the research progress of probiotics in the treatment of allergic rhinitis in recent years.

Keywords: Th1/Th2 balance; Treg/Th17 balance; allergy rhinitis; immune tolerance; mucosal barrier; probiotics.

Figure 1

Pattern of pathogenesis of allergic rhinitis.

Figure 2

Brief mechanism of probiotic treatment of allergic rhinitis. Probiotics protect against allergic rhinitis by reducing serum pro-inflammatory factors, increasing the number of immune cells, regulating Th1 and Th2 balance, increasing Treg numbers, and inhibiting Th17. In addition, probiotics can directly stimulate the formation of TDCs or activate the TLR pathway to indirectly stimulate DC, thereby inducing the formation of Tregs. Probiotics can improve AR by increasing the level of beneficial bacteria to regulate the stability of the gut microbiota, restoring the intestinal mucosal barrier.