Immune system modulation

Panax ginseng X Intestinal immune system modulating activity [67-69]... 

KIYOHARA H, MATSUMOTO T, YAMADA H (2000) Ligniu-carbohydrate complexes intestinal immune system modulating ingredients in kampo (Japanese herbal) medicine, juzen-taiho-to. Planta Med. 66 20-24. 

YU K w, KiYOHARA H, MATSUMOTO T, YANG H 0, YAMADA H (1998) Intestinal immune system modulating polysaccharides from rhizomes of Atractylodes lancea. Planta Med. 64 714-9. 

Gene therapy, immune system modulation and genetically-engineered antibodies entered the clinic in the war against cancer. The Journal of Clinical Oncology (1995). 

Cytokines are a potential way to modify the immune system in several situations because of their ability to act as immunoregulatory chemicals. For example, cytokines such as interferon-alpha and interleukin-2 can be administered to treat certain forms of cancer (see Chapter 36). Likewise, certain interferons can help control viral infections, and interferon-beta may be helpful in autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis (see Chapter 34). Researchers continue to investigate how immune function can be manipulated to treat various diseases, and additional immune system modulators will almost certainly be forthcoming. 

For a number of overt, broad spectrum immunosuppressive xenobiotics (e.g., azathioprine) there is sufficient clinical experience to indicate the types of neoplasms for which there is an increased risk. These tumor types are listed in Table 27.1. Also listed are the tumors that occur in the unfortunate experiment of nature, namely patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) and the tumors that may occur at higher incidence with more selective yet strong immunosuppressants (e.g., cyclosporin, sirolimus, and tacrolimus). Compared to the broad spectrum immunosuppressive agents listed above, most IMBPs express a highly selective regulatory influence on the immune system modulating the activity of host defense systems rather than mediating frank immunosuppression. 

Stenzel-Poore MP, Duncan JE, Rittenberg MB, Bakke AC, Heinrichs SC. CRH overproduction in transgenic mice behav- 149. ioral and immune system modulation. Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. 1996 780 36-48. 

An annotated list of some of the cytokines involved in immune system modulation is given in Table 35-4. The rapid development of cytokine biology, however, guarantees that such tables are likely to be incomplete the moment that they are created and, more importantly, inaccurate in some respects. Internet sites exist that update cytokine... 

Alexander JW, Peck MD. Future prospects for adjunctive therapy Pharmacologic and nutritional approaches to immune system modulation. Crit Care Med 1990 18 S159-S164. 

Reticulose. Reticulose is a peptide-nucleic acid solution in which ribonucleic acid is combined with short-chain peptides. Recently, reticulose has been described as an immune system modulator, and early clinical studies have shown that reticulose has an ability to rapidly inhibit the course of a variety of viral diseases, particularly in the acute stage. However, it has also been reported to be effective in sub-acute and chronic phases of certain infections and has exhibited no reported side effects in over 20 years of use. Retieulose appears to act by alteration of the host cell response to viral replication. It seems to stimulate the immune system via increases in endogenous interferon and increases in lymphocyte production. In clinical trials with patients infected with hepatitis A or B viruses, treatment with reticulose demonstrated positive results in that serum bilirubin levels reached normal levels and white blood eell count showed significant increases, indicating stimulation of the immune system (190). 

It is evident that aldehyde-containing saponins, particularly those from Quillaja saponaria Molina, have unique features which provide them with particular immune stimulating properties. However, some of their chemical properties cause instability and toxicity which interfere with their utility as adjuvants. A better understanding of the underlying relationships between the saponin s chemical structure and biological functions, such as immune system modulation and toxicity, would allow the future development of semi-synthetic and synthetic molecules having the advantages but not the liabilities of these natural products. 

Probiotic bacteria differ on the basis of genus, species, and strains. Indeed, strains of the same species vary widely in traits such as expression of enzymes, types of inhibitors produced, carbohydrate fermentation patterns, resistance to acid and bile, ability to colonize the gastrointestinal tract, and clinical efficacy (Berg, 1996 Norat et al., 2002). Furthermore, the active principle has not always been associated with live bacteria, as some immune system modulation activities and macromolecular degradation have been linked to nonviable bacterial components such as enzyme activities or fermentation products (Huttner and Bevins, 1999). 

Various immune-related functions have been shown to be altered by ascorbate nutriture, including neutrophil chemotaxis, lymphocyte proliferation, and natural killer cell activity (Siegel, 1993 Vojdani and Ghoneum, 1993). The vitamin has also been shown to affect many immune system modulators such as blood histamine... 

A cornerstone of the treatment regimen for chronic hepatitis C infection is an alpha interferon (IFN). IFNs are endogenous glycoproteins produced by a variety of cells, usually in response to a viral infection. The mechanism by which IFN acts against the hepatitis C vims is not completely understood. Possible actions include a direct antiviral effect and to a lesser extent, immune system modulation . Immune system modulation by IFN may be important in that decreases in liver inflammation and fibrosis are considered to be long-term goals in the disease s management. 

---