Allergic Rhinitis: From Pathology to Novel Therapeutic Approaches

A special issue of Biomedicines (ISSN 2227-9059). This special issue belongs to the section "Immunology and Immunotherapy".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2026 | Viewed by 2078

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
1. Department of Otolaryngology, Tongji Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai 20065, China
2. Department of Allergy, Tongji Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai 200065, China
Interests: allergic rhinitis; allergy; immunotherapy; immune mechanisms in allergy; rhinitis biomarkers

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce a new Special Issue in Biomedicines, titled “Allergic Rhinitis: From Pathology to Novel Therapeutic Approaches”, and invite you to submit your original research or review articles to this collection.

This Special Issue aims to bridge mechanistic insights into allergic rhinitis (AR) with cutting-edge therapeutic strategies. We welcome submissions exploring topics including (but not limited to) the following: immune dysregulation and molecular pathways, driving AR pathology; biomarker discovery for diagnosis, prognosis, or treatment response prediction; novel immunotherapies; microbiome–host interactions in AR development and progression; and precision medicine approaches integrating omics technologies or AI-driven models.

Accepted papers after peer review will be published in this Open Access issue, ensuring global visibility and impact. Please let us know if you are interested in submitting work to this Special Issue.   

Prof. Dr. Shaoqing Yu
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • allergic rhinitis
  • immunotherapy
  • immune mechanisms in allergy
  • rhinitis biomarkers

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 10890 KB  
Article
Age-Stratified Analysis of the Clinical Efficacy of Subcutaneous Immunotherapy for Allergic Rhinitis in Chinese Patients
by Ling Jin, Kai Fan, Shican Zhou, Yang Wang, Shiwang Tan, Bojin Long and Shaoqing Yu
Biomedicines 2025, 13(11), 2831; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines13112831 - 20 Nov 2025
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Abstract
Background/Objectives: To investigate the relationship between patient age and the clinical efficacy of subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) for allergic rhinitis (AR), aiming to provide a reference for patient selection and efficacy improvement in clinical practice. Methods: We conducted a retrospective statistical analysis of clinical [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: To investigate the relationship between patient age and the clinical efficacy of subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) for allergic rhinitis (AR), aiming to provide a reference for patient selection and efficacy improvement in clinical practice. Methods: We conducted a retrospective statistical analysis of clinical data from 240 AR patients who underwent standardized house dust mite (HDM) SCIT for at least 6 months at our hospital between 2019 and 2025. Patients were stratified into four age groups (children, young adults, middle-aged adults, and the elderly) according to the World Health Organization (WHO) classification. The clinical efficacy, nasal symptom scores, Rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire (RQLQ) scores, peripheral blood regulatory T cell (Treg) and regulatory B cell (Breg) levels, and adverse reactions were analyzed across these age strata. Additionally, to investigate the underlying mechanisms, we utilized a public single-cell transcriptomic dataset (GSE176269; n = 35, age 4 months-65 years) to assess the relationship between T cell senescence and age through data integration and senescence gene set scoring. For multiple comparisons, the significance level was adjusted using the Bonferroni method. This adjustment ensured the overall significance level (α) of the study was maintained at 0.05, and the final adjusted significance level (α′) for each age group was 0.0125. Results: The overall response rate for the entire cohort was 62.5%. Age-stratified analysis revealed a significantly higher response rate in children (83.3%) compared to middle-aged and elderly patients (48.5% and 20%, respectively), with the difference being statistically significant (p < 0.001). Following treatment, both total nasal symptom scores and RQLQ scores decreased significantly across all age groups compared to baseline (p < 0.001). Peripheral blood Treg and Breg levels increased post-treatment in all age groups; however, the increase was not statistically significant in the middle-aged and elderly groups (p > 0.0125). The incidence of systemic adverse reactions was 4.17% (all Grade I), occurring primarily in the child and young adult groups, but the difference among age groups was not statistically significant (p > 0.0125). Mechanistically, our single-cell analysis revealed that T cells within the nasal mucosa exhibit significant age-dependent senescence. Conclusions: SCIT is a safe and effective treatment for AR across all age groups. However, pediatric patients appear to derive greater benefit compared to middle-aged and elderly patients, a finding that corresponds with age-stratified immunological data. Therefore, different efficacy expectations should be considered when selecting SCIT for patients of varying ages, and future research should explore strategies targeting T cell senescence to enhance desensitization efficacy in elderly patients. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Allergic Rhinitis: From Pathology to Novel Therapeutic Approaches)
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10 pages, 1460 KB  
Article
Interleukin-37 Suppresses the Function of Type 2 Follicular Helper T in Allergic Rhinitis
by Xi Luo, Yanhui Wen, Xiangqian Qiu, Lifeng Zhou, Qingxiang Zeng and Wenlong Liu
Biomedicines 2025, 13(5), 1263; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines13051263 - 21 May 2025
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Abstract
Background: Allergic rhinitis (AR) is triggered by immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated immune responses to airborne allergens. Recent studies highlight the pivotal role of T follicular helper 2 (Tfh2) cells in IgE production. Interleukin-37 (IL-37) has emerged as an intrinsic modulator of innate immunity and [...] Read more.
Background: Allergic rhinitis (AR) is triggered by immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated immune responses to airborne allergens. Recent studies highlight the pivotal role of T follicular helper 2 (Tfh2) cells in IgE production. Interleukin-37 (IL-37) has emerged as an intrinsic modulator of innate immunity and inflammatory processes. We aimed to investigate the regulatory effect of IL-37 on Tfh2 cells in the pathogenesis of AR. Methods: Blood samples were collected from AR patients and controls. The IL-37 levels and the frequency of Tfh2 cells were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and flow cytometry, respectively. The isolated Tfh2 cells were cultured or cocultured with naive B cells. The regulatory effects of IL-37 on Tfh2/B cells were assessed using ELISA, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Mouse models of ovalbumin (OVA)-induced AR were established to explore the effect of IL-37 in vivo. Results: IL-37 suppressed the production of IL-4 and IL-21 by Tfh2 cells and downregulated C-X-C chemokine receptor type 5 (CXCR5) and B-cell lymphoma 6 protein (Bcl6) mRNA expression while upregulating B lymphocyte-induced maturation protein 1 (Blimp1) and signal transducers and activators of transduction5 (STAT5) mRNA. IL-37 decreased IgE production by B cells significantly, and the addition of anti-IL-18 receptor α alleviated this effect. In mouse models, IL-37 reduced nasal rubbing, sneezing, eosinophil counts, OVA-specific IgE, and Tfh2 proportions. Conclusions: IL-37 plays a crucial role in modulating Tfh2 cell responses in AR, suggesting a potential therapeutic target for this condition. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Allergic Rhinitis: From Pathology to Novel Therapeutic Approaches)
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