Impact of sublingual immunotherapy with dust mite drops on ECP, TARC, VCAM-1 inflammatory status in patients with allergic rhinitis

Why clinicians should know about it

• Picked for Immunology and Allergy (paper of the day, 5 August 2026).

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of sublingual immunotherapy with dust mite drops on serum eosinophil cationic protein (ECP), thymus and activation-regulated chemokine (TARC), vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) levels and symptom improvement in allergic rhinitis (AR) patients. METHODS: A prospective randomized controlled trial enrolled 300 AR patients sensitized to dust mites, randomly assigned to control group (conventional treatment, n = 150) and research group (conventional treatment plus sublingual dust mite drops, n = 150) for 6 months. RESULTS: Compared with controls, the research group showed significantly greater reductions in interleukin-4 (IL-4), interleukin-17 (IL-17), ECP, TARC, VCAM-1, lower adverse reaction rates, improved pulmonary function including forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1), peak expiratory flow (PEF), FEV1/FVC ratio, and small airway function including maximal mid-expiratory flow (MMEF), expiratory flow rate at 50% of FVC (MEF50), expiratory flow rate at 25% of FVC (MEF25), as well as reduced symptom scores (all p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Sublingual immunotherapy with Dust mite drops appears effective in suppressing systemic inflammation, minimizing treatment-related adverse events, enhancing both small airway and pulmonary function, and easing the clinical manifestations of allergic rhinitis.

Abstract as published, via PubMed.