Search

Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a common disorder of the upper airway, while asthma is a disease affecting the lower airway and both diseases are usually comorbid. Interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-13 are critical cytokines in the induction of the pathogenic Th2 responses in AR and asthma. Targeting the IL-4/IL-13 axis at various levels of its signaling pathway has emerged as promising targeted therapy in both AR and asthma patient populations. In this review, we discuss the biological characteristics of IL-4 and IL-13, their signaling pathways, and therapeutic antibodies against each cytokine as well as their receptors. In particular, the pleiotropic roles of IL-4 and IL-13 in orchestrating Th2 responses in AR and asthma patients indicate that dual IL-4/IL-13 blockade is a promising therapeutic strategy for both diseases., Competing Interests: The authors declare there are no competing interests., (©2022 Nur Husna et al.)

Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a common allergic disease characterized by disruption of nasal epithelial barrier. In this study, we investigated the mRNA expression of zonula occludens-1 ( ZO-1 ), ZO-2 and ZO-3 and histone deacetylase 1 ( HDAC1 ) and HDAC2 in AR patients compared to healthy controls. RNA samples were extracted from nasal epithelial cells of house dust mites (HDMs)-sensitized AR patients and healthy controls ( n  = 28 in each group). The RNAs were reverse transcribed into cDNAs for measurement of ZO-1 , ZO-2 , ZO-3 , HDAC1 and HDAC2 expression levels by quantitative PCR. The mRNA expression of ZO-1 was significantly decreased in AR patients compared to healthy controls ( p  = 0.010). No significant difference was observed in the expression levels of ZO-2 , ZO-3 , HDAC1 and HDAC2 in AR patients compared to healthy controls. We found significant associations of higher HDAC2 levels in AR patients with lower frequency of changing bedsheet ( p  = 0.043) and with AR patients sensitized to Dermatophagoides farinae ( p  = 0.041). Higher expression of ZO-2 was observed in AR patients who had pets ( p  = 0.007). In conclusion, our data indicated that ZO-1 expression was lower in AR patients contributing to decreased integrity of nasal epithelial barrier integrity, and HDAC2 may be involved in the pathogenesis of the disease., Competing Interests: The authors declare there are no competing interests., (©2022 Siti Sarah et al.)

Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a common disease affecting 400 million of the population worldwide. Nasal epithelial cells form a barrier against the invasion of environmental pathogens. These nasal epithelial cells are connected together by tight junction (TJ) proteins including zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1), ZO-2 and ZO-3. Impairment of ZO proteins are observed in AR patients whereby dysfunction of ZOs allows allergens to pass the nasal passage into the subepithelium causing AR development. In this review, we discuss ZO proteins and their impairment leading to AR, regulation of their expression by Th1 cytokines (i.e., IL-2, TNF- α and IFN- γ ), Th2 cytokines (i.e., IL-4 and IL-13) and histone deacetylases (i.e., HDAC1 and HDAC2). These findings are pivotal for future development of targeted therapies by restoring ZO protein expression and improving nasal epithelial barrier integrity in AR patients., Competing Interests: The authors declare there are no competing interests., (©2020 Siti Sarah et al.)