In France, at least 17 million people are affected by allergic diseases. But as surprising as it may seem, the mechanisms of inflammation at the origin of certain respiratory diseases – such as asthma or hay fever – still remain poorly understood.
A team of French researchers is opening a new door in understanding these pathologies. They have in fact identified one of the molecules responsible for triggering the allergic reaction
New treatments
“ This molecule from the alarmin family, called TL1A, is released by cells of the pulmonary epithelium a few minutes after exposure to a mold-type allergen. », Explain the authors.
This pulmonary epithelium is in fact this carpet of cells which constitutes the internal surface of the lungs. There, this newly discovered molecule cooperates with another alarmin, interleukin 33, to alert the immune system to the presence of an allergen.
This double alarm signal then stimulates the activity of immune cells, which will then trigger a cascade of chain reactions responsible for allergic inflammation.
“ Alarmins therefore constitute therapeutic targets of major interest for the treatment of allergic respiratory diseases. », conclude the researchers. “In a few years, treatments based on antibodies blocking alarmin TL1A could benefit patients suffering from severe asthma or other allergic diseases. »
