Open AccessThe Efficacy of a New Protocol of Oral Immunotherapy to Wheat for Desensitization and Induction of Tolerance
Author(s) -
Samin Sharafian,
Aliakbar Amirzargar,
Mohammad Gharagozlou,
Nima Parvaneh,
Mansoureh Shariat,
Marzieh Tavakol,
Masoud Movahedi
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
iranian journal of allergy, asthma and immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.357
H-Index - 25
eISSN - 1735-5249
pISSN - 1735-1502
DOI - 10.18502/ijaai.v21i3.9797
Subject(s) - oral immunotherapy , desensitization (medicine) , immunoglobulin e , medicine , immunology , foxp3 , immunotherapy , allergy , food allergy , antibody , immune system , receptor
Oral immunotherapy (OIT) is a novel approach to desensitization and tolerance induction in food allergy patients. This study aimed to design and implement a new wheat OIT protocol, evaluate its efficacy in tolerance induction, and assess specific immunoglobulin-E (IgE) and regulatory T cell changes. From 2015 to 2017, 26 patients with confirmed IgE-mediated hypersensitivity to wheat were treated via oral immunotherapy (OIT). Patients with prior anaphylactic episodes underwent OIT using the rush method. Specific IgE concentrations and the number of regulatory T cells (CD4+ CD25+ FOXP3+ T cells) were measured using Allergy Screen immunoblot assay and flow cytometry, respectively. This study was registered in the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT20181220042066N1). The results revealed success rates of 100% and 93.3% for desensitization and tolerance. Specific IgE was significantly reduced after 12 months of OIT. No significant change in regulatory T cell numbers was observed. In view of the promising findings of this study, the proposed OIT protocol could be viewed as an effective and valuable method to induce tolerance and desensitization in wheat allergic patients.