Immunopharmacology

Immunopharmacology is defined as that part of pharmacology that deals with drugs acting on the immune system and, in addition, with the pharmacological actions of substances derived from the immune system. In order to lend sharper definition to the term immunopharmacology the subject matter has been divided according to clinical and pragmatic criteria. The division into immunosubstituion, immunosuppression, antiallergic substances and immunostimulation gives the heterogeneous material a tighter structure than would any classification according to origin, chemical structure or mechanism of action.

1 Definition and History.- 2 The Immune System - A Short Introduction to its Structure and Function.- 2.1 The cells of the immune system.- 2.2 Humoral components of the immune system.- 2.3 Synopsis.- 3 Antibodies as Immunopharmacological Agents.- 3.1 Polyclonal animal immunoglobulins.- 3.2 Polyclonal human immunoglobulins.- 3.3 Therapeutic applications of human immunoglobulins.- 3.4 Monoclonal antibodies.- 4 Immunosuppression.- 4.1 What is an immunosuppressive?.- 4.2 Azathioprine.- 4.3 Glucocorticoids.- 4.4 Cyclosporin A.- 4.5 FK 506.- 4.6 Orthoclone T3 (OKT3).- 4.7 Immunotoxins.- 5 Substances with an Antiallergic Effect.- 5.1 Immediate-type hypersensitivity reactions.- 6 Immunostimulation.- 6.1 Possible therapeutic strategies.- 6.2 Endogenous substances.- 6.3 Substances of microbial origin.- 6.4 Synthetic substances.- 7 Clinical Assessment and Perspectives.- 7.1 Immunosubstitution - antibodies.- 7.2 Immunosuppression.- 7.3 Antiallergic substances - suppression of the acute-type hypersensitivity reaction.- 7.4 Antiinflammatory substances.- 7.5 Immunostimulation - biological response modifiers.- General literature.- References.