The following is a summary of “Nasal IL-13 production identifies patients with late-phase allergic responses,” published in the November 2023 issue of Allergy & Immunology by Campion, et al.
For a study, researchers sought to address the knowledge gap regarding the association between local cytokine secretion patterns following nasal allergen challenge and clinical symptoms, focusing on the elusive “late allergic response,” observed in approximately 40% to 50% of allergic patients.
Conducted as a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, the research involved birch pollen–allergic participants who underwent challenges with birch pollen extract (n = 20) or placebo (n = 10) over three consecutive days. Nasal secretions were systematically collected at various time points within a 24-hour timeframe on days 1 and 3, enabling the measurement of 33 inflammatory mediators. Clinical responses were comprehensively evaluated using subjective symptom scores and objective nasal airflow measurements.
Results indicated that provoked participants exhibited significantly heightened clinical responses, accompanied by notable increases in tryptase and soluble IL-33 receptor serum stimulation 2 (sST2) in nasal secretions within minutes, a distinction from the placebo group. Among the provoked participants, eight out of 20 displayed elevated IL-13 levels 2 to 8 hours post-allergen provocation, correlating with significant alterations in clinical parameters. The subgroup experienced a secondary decrease in nasal airflow (measured by peak nasal inspiratory flow) and heightened symptoms of nasal obstruction, demonstrating a noteworthy divergence from IL-13 nonresponders after 6 hours.
In conclusion, the IL-13 response status correlated with both clinical responses and type 2 cytokine responses in the late phase following allergen provocation.
Source: jacionline.org/article/S0091-6749(23)00971-5/fulltext
