Allergen immunotherapy and dupilumab in atopic dermatitis: Clinical efficacy and disparities in immunological indicators

IF 3.9 2区医学 Q2 ALLERGY World Allergy Organization Journal Pub Date : 2025-03-01 DOI:10.1016/j.waojou.2025.101043

Jin Liu MM , Lin Yang MD, PhD , Qingxiu Xu MD , Qing Jiang PhD , Nan Huang MD , Wenjing Li PhD , Yaqi Yang MD , Dongxia Ma MD , Le Li MM , Yangxue Fu PhD , Hao Chen PhD , Rongfei Zhu MD, PhD

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Objective

Allergen immunotherapy (AIT) and dupilumab have been confirmed to improve symptoms of atopic dermatitis (AD); however, the precise immune mechanisms underlying their efficacy and whether they can elicit synergistic immune effects remain not fully elucidated. We aimed to investigate the clinical efficacy and immunological changes in AD patients undergoing AIT, dupilumab, and a combination of AIT and dupilumab treatment.

Methods

Clinical data, serum samples, and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were collected from house dust mite (HDM)-sensitized AD patients receiving AIT and/or dupilumab at baseline and 6 months. Changes in clinical efficacy, HDM-specific IgE and IgG₄, serum cytokines, and lymphocyte subgroups were compared among the treatment groups.

Results

A total of 77 AD patients were included, with 39 in the AIT group, 19 in the dupilumab group, and 19 in the AIT combined dupilumab group. The SCORAD scores significantly improved in all groups after 6 months. Levels of HDM-specific IgE and total IgE remained stable in the AIT group but decreased in the dupilumab and combination groups. Levels of IgG₄ against major mite components Der p1 and Der p23 increased in the AIT group and combined treatment group. Serum cytokine levels showed no significant changes, except for a decrease in CCL17 in the dupilumab group. Th1/Th2 and Th17/Th2 ratios increased after dupilumab treatment. There were notable differences in T cell subpopulations when PBMCs were stimulated with HDM extracts after 6-month treatment, tSNE analysis showed the proportion of IL-4⁺IL-13⁺CRTH2⁺T cells increased in the dupilumab group but had no changes in the AIT and combination group.

Conclusions

AIT, dupilumab, and their combination improved clinical symptoms and quality of life in AD patients. AIT promoted allergen-specific IgG₄ production, while dupilumab modulated T cell responses and reduced allergen-specific IgE synthesis. The combination of AIT and dupilumab exhibited the immunological parameter changes characteristic of both treatments but did not result in a significantly greater improvement in AD symptoms.

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来源期刊

World Allergy Organization Journal Immunology and Microbiology-Immunology

CiteScore

9.10

自引率

5.90%

发文量

审稿时长

9 weeks

期刊介绍： The official pubication of the World Allergy Organization, the World Allergy Organization Journal (WAOjournal) publishes original mechanistic, translational, and clinical research on the topics of allergy, asthma, anaphylaxis, and clincial immunology, as well as reviews, guidelines, and position papers that contribute to the improvement of patient care. WAOjournal publishes research on the growth of allergy prevalence within the scope of single countries, country comparisons, and practical global issues and regulations, or threats to the allergy specialty. The Journal invites the submissions of all authors interested in publishing on current global problems in allergy, asthma, anaphylaxis, and immunology. Of particular interest are the immunological consequences of climate change and the subsequent systematic transformations in food habits and their consequences for the allergy/immunology discipline.