International Immunology, Vol. 29, No. 6, pp. 247–261 © The Japanese Society for Immunology. 2017. All rights reserved. For doi:10.1093/intimm/dxx040 permissions, please e-mail:
[email protected] Advance Access publication 13 July 2017 Neuro-immune interactions in allergic diseases: novel targets for therapeutics Tiphaine Voisin, Amélie Bouvier and Isaac M. Chiu Department of Microbiology and Immunobiology, Division of Immunology, Harvard Medical School, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA 02115, USA Correspondence to: I. M. Chiu; E-mail:
[email protected] Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/intimm/article/29/6/247/3964460 by guest on 08 January 2021 Received 1 May 2017, editorial decision 3 July 2017; accepted 5 July 2017 Abstract REVIEW Recent studies have highlighted an emerging role for neuro-immune interactions in mediating allergic diseases. Allergies are caused by an overactive immune response to a foreign antigen. The peripheral sensory and autonomic nervous system densely innervates mucosal barrier tissues including the skin, respiratory tract and gastrointestinal (GI) tract that are exposed to allergens. It is increasingly clear that neurons actively communicate with and regulate the function of mast cells, dendritic cells, eosinophils, Th2 cells and type 2 innate lymphoid cells in allergic inflammation. Several mechanisms of cross-talk between the two systems have been uncovered, with potential anatomical specificity. Immune cells release inflammatory mediators including histamine, cytokines or neurotrophins that directly activate sensory neurons to mediate itch in the skin, cough/sneezing and bronchoconstriction in the respiratory tract and motility in the GI tract. Upon activation, these peripheral neurons release neurotransmitters and neuropeptides that directly act on immune cells to modulate their function.