Expression of eosinophils, RANTES and IL-25 in the first phase of Hymenoptera venom immunotherapy

Bee venom: apitherapy and more

Honeybees are becoming increasingly familiar to the general population due to the growing popularity of backyard and amateur beekeeping. Although bee venom produces reactions ranging from mild local irritation to life-threatening anaphylaxis, it is also used for life-saving desensitization immunotherapy in those with severe reactions to bee stings. The use of honeybee venom for immunotherapy has increased due to an enhanced interest in natural therapeutics. Recently, honeybee venom has been administered as a successful, safe, and cost-effective treatment for rheumatoid arthritis, back pain, and skin diseases. During the past two decades, studies have tested honeybee venom's efficacy for treating various skin disorders, including atopic dermatitis, wound healing, and psoriasis. We will review bee venom from multiple perspectives, including its medical applications and mechanisms for dermatological pathologies.

Time-dependent cytokines changes in ultra-rush wasp venom immunotherapy

Venom immunotherapy (VIT) represents a potential therapeutic approach for the management of venom allergies, aiming to modify the immune response to venom allergens and enhance its precision. Previous studies have demonstrated that VIT induces a shift in T helper cell responses from Th2 to Th1, characterized by the production of IL-2 and interferon-gamma by CD4+ and CD8+ cells. In order to explore long-term pathways following VIT treatment and verify potential new outcomes, the serum concentrations of 30 cytokines were assessed in a cohort of 61 patients (18 control, 43 study group) exhibiting hypersensitivity to wasp venom. Cytokine levels were measured at 0, 2, 6, and 24 weeks after the initiation phase of VIT in the study group. The present study found no significant alterations in the levels of IL-2 and IFN-γ in the peripheral blood following VIT. However, a noteworthy finding was the substantial increase in the concentration of IL-12, a cytokine capable of promoting the differentiation of Th0 cells into Th1 cells. This observation supports the involvement of the Th1 pathway in the desensitization process induced by VIT. Additionally, the study revealed a significant rise in the levels of IL-9 and TGF-β after VIT. These cytokines may play a role in the generation of inducible regulatory T (Treg) cells, indicating their potential importance in the immune response to venom allergens and the desensitization process associated with VIT. Nevertheless, further investigations are required to comprehend the underlying mechanisms driving the VIT process comprehensively.

Pharmacological effects and mechanisms of bee venom and its main components: Recent progress and perspective

Bee venom (BV), a type of defensive venom, has been confirmed to have favorable activities, such as anti-tumor, neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, anti-infectivity effects, etc. This study reviewed the recent progress on the pharmacological effects and mechanisms of BV and its main components against cancer, neurological disorders, inflammatory diseases, pain, microbial diseases, liver, kidney, lung and muscle injury, and other diseases in literature during the years 2018–2021. The related target proteins of BV and its main components against the diseases include Akt, mTOR, JNK, Wnt-5α, HIF-1α, NF-κB, JAK2, Nrf2, BDNF, Smad2/3, AMPK, and so on, which are referring to PI3K/Akt/mTOR, MAPK, Wnt/β-catenin, HIF-1α, NF-κB, JAK/STAT, Nrf2/HO-1, TrkB/CREB/BDNF, TGF-β/Smad2/3, and AMPK signaling pathways, etc. Further, with the reported targets, the potential effects and mechanisms on diseases were bioinformatically predicted via Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway, disease ontology semantic and enrichment (DOSE) and protein-protein interaction (PPI) analyses. This review provides new insights into the therapeutic effects and mechanisms of BV and its main components on diseases.

Allergen-specific immunotherapy induces the suppressive secretoglobin 1A1 in cells of the lower airways

BACKGROUND

While several systemic immunomodulatory effects of allergen-specific immunotherapy (AIT) have been discovered, local anti-inflammatory mechanisms in the respiratory tract are largely unknown. We sought to elucidate local and epithelial mechanisms underlying allergen-specific immunotherapy in a genome-wide approach.

METHODS

We induced sputum in hay fever patients and healthy controls during the pollen peak season and stratified patients by effective allergen immunotherapy or as untreated. Sputum was directly processed after induction and subjected to whole transcriptome RNA microarray analysis. Nasal secretions were analyzed for Secretoglobin1A1 (SCGB1A1) and IL-24 protein levels in an additional validation cohort at three defined time points during the 3-year course of AIT. Subsequently, RNA was extracted and subjected to an array-based whole transcriptome analysis.

RESULTS

Allergen-specific immunotherapy inhibited pro-inflammatory CXCL8, IL24, and CCL26mRNA expression, while SCGB1A1, IL7, CCL5, CCL23, and WNT5BmRNAs were induced independently of the asthma status and allergen season. In our validation cohort, local increase of SCGB1A1 occurred concomitantly with the reduction of local IL-24 in upper airways during the course of AIT. Additionally, SCGB1A1 was identified as a suppressor of epithelial gene expression.

CONCLUSIONS

Allergen-specific immunotherapy induces a yet unknown local gene expression footprint in the lower airways that on one hand appears to be a result of multiple regulatory pathways and on the other hand reveals SCGB1A1 as novel anti-inflammatory mediator of long-term allergen-specific therapeutic intervention in the local environment.