Immunobiology
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According to the hygiene hypothesis, triggering the immune system with microbial components during childhood balances the inherent Th2 bias. In contrast, specific immunotherapy involves exposure of the patient to the allergen in order to achieve desensitization to subsequent contact. In a human in vitro allergy model the potential of the TLR2/6 agonist BPPcysMPEG to modulate antigen presenting cells and allergen-specific immune responses was evaluated. ⋯ The treatment with BPPcysMPEG induced a Th1-dominated cytokine milieu in mediastinal lymph nodes, while allergen-specific immune responses in splenocytes were diminished. The co-administration of allergen and BPPcysMPEG reduced cytokine secretion upon restimulation in mediastinal lymph nodes and splenocytes. From these data we conclude that BPPcysMPEG was able to influence the immune system with regard to subsequent allergen contact by TLR2/6 agonization.