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Epicutaneous allergen administration: is this the future of allergen‐specific immunotherapy?
Author(s) -
Senti G.,
von Moos S.,
Kündig T. M.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
allergy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.363
H-Index - 173
eISSN - 1398-9995
pISSN - 0105-4538
DOI - 10.1111/j.1398-9995.2011.02560.x
Subject(s) - medicine , allergen , allergen immunotherapy , immunotherapy , immunology , allergy , population , immunoglobulin e , antibody , immune system , environmental health
To cite this article: Senti G, von Moos S, Kündig TM. Epicutaneous allergen administration: is this the future of allergen‐specific immunotherapy? Allergy 2011; 66 : 798–809. Abstract IgE‐mediated allergies, such as allergic rhinoconjunctivitis and asthma, have become highly prevalent, today affecting up to 30% of the population in industrialized countries. Allergen‐specific immunotherapy (SIT) either subcutaneously or via the sublingual route is effective, but only few patients (<5%) choose immunotherapy, as treatment takes several years and because allergen administrations are associated with local and, in some cases, even systemic allergic side‐effects because of allergen accidentally reaching the circulation. In order to resolve these two major drawbacks, the ideal application site of SIT should have two characteristics. First, it should contain a high number of potent antigen‐presenting cells to enhance efficacy and shorten treatment duration. Secondly, it should be nonvascularized in order to minimize inadvertent systemic distribution of the allergen and therefore systemic allergic side‐effects. The epidermis, a nonvascularized multilayer epithelium, that contains high numbers of potent antigen‐presenting Langerhans cells (LC) could therefore be an interesting administration route. The present review will discuss the immunological rational, history and actual clinical experience with epicutaneous allergen‐specific immunotherapy.