Molecular pharmaceutics
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Molecular pharmaceutics · Aug 2020
Microneedle-Mediated Allergen-Specific Immunotherapy for the Treatment of Airway Allergy in Mice.
Subcutaneous allergen-specific immunotherapy (SCIT) qualifies as a promising approach for the permanent cure of IgE-mediated airway allergies, which can often manifest into allergic rhinitis and other allergic respiratory diseases. SCIT entails repeated administration of a high allergen dose into the subcutaneous (sc) region using a hypodermic needle for many (3-5) years, which is inconvenient and painful and reduces patient compliance. To overcome these limitations, we hypothesized that microneedles (MNs), which are minimally invasive and painless, could provide a novel approach for allergen desensitization by depositing the allergen into the superficial layers of the skin. ⋯ Coated MNs with Ova and CpG (MN-Ova + CpG) considerably suppressed the airway inflammation in allergic mice, evidenced by downregulation of proinflammatory cytokines (IL-5 and IL-13), upregulation of anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10, and activation of Ova-specific immune response in bronchoalveolar (BAL) fluid. The therapeutic capacity of MN-based allergy treatment was further validated by the reduction in eosinophil and mast cell infiltration in the lung tissues of mice treated with MN-Ova + CpG, and low deposition of mucus inside their lung bronchioles. Overall, coated MNs ameliorated the symptoms of airway allergy in mice similar to SCIT and could provide a novel means of painless allergen-specific immunotherapy.