Immunopharmacology

Manish Kumar
M.Pharm (Pharmacology)
Web- www.manishpharma.webs.com

INTRODUCTION
 Immunopharmacology is the study of the effects of the
drugs modifying immune mechanism in body.

 It includes not only inoculation but also autoimmune
disorders, allergic reactions, and cancer.

 A significant development has new approach to control
the immunological mechanism by drugs.
Eg. Immunosuppressant.

THE IMMUNO SYSTEM
IMMUNITY :

 It is the ability of the living body or the process to resist
various types of organisms or toxins that tend to damage
the tissue and organs.

CELLS INVOLVED IN IMMUNOSYSTEM
 Lymphocytes
 Neutrophils
 Basophils
 Eosinophils
 Monocytes
 Plasma cells
 Kupffer cells

Components of immune system
Antigens
 A substance that when introduced into the body,
stimulates the production of an antibody.
 An antigen is an organic compound - protein,
polysaccharide or glycolipid. It has 2 parts
o Hapten
o Carrier

 Antigens include:
Toxins
Bacteria
Foreign blood cells
Microorganisms
Allergens
Viruses Etc.

Antibodies
 They are gamma globulins or immunoglobulin's produced
in the serum on exposure to antigen.
 Chemically they are glycoprotein's containing
two heavy chains and two light chains joined together by
disulfide bonds.
 It has 2 parts
1) Fab
2) Fc
The entire antibody structure can be cleaved by papain(a
proteolytic enzyme)

TYPES OF ANTIBODIES
There are 5 types :
1.IgG
2.IgM
3.IgA
4.IgE
5.IgD

CHARACTERISTICS OF ANTIBODIES
TYPES MOL. WT. CONC. IN SERUM SPECIAL
(mg/ml) CHARACTERSTICS
Ig G 150,000 1200 Can produce anaphylaxis

Ig M 900,000 100 Seen in vascular system
most effective as
agglutinin
Ig A 160,000 400 Found in serum, saliva,
tears, G.I Secretions
Ig E 200,000 <0.01 Causes release of
histamine from mast cells

Ig D 185,000 NOT CLEAR Present on surphase

Immunopharmacology
 Mainly include :
1.Autoimmune disorders.
2.Allergy

AUTO-IMMUNE DISORDERS
 It is occur due to the immunity can not distinguish body
own cells and organism cells and by mistake kill the body
own cells.
MECHANISAM:
 In auto immunity ,by activation of self reactive T& B
lymphocytes that produce cell-mediated response directly
against self-antigen and it may lead to killing of body own
cells
Eg. Rheumatoid arthritis
Myasthenia gravis
Ulcerative anemia etc.

 The development of autoimmune disease depends on a
combination of genetic and environmental factors like
hormones, diet, toxins, drugs and infections.
 Genetic predisposition accounts for only about one-third
of the risk of developing an autoimmune disease.
 while non- inherited environmental factors account for
the remaining 70% risk.

Environmental
Gene Auto
factors
(70%) immune
(30%) disease

Allergy
Definition:
 Allergy is one of the consequences of immunological
response involving antigen-antibody reaction and in
it mainly increased reactivity to foreign material
above normal. Hence it is also called hypersensitivity.

Types of allergy
It has mainly 2 types:
1.Humoral
a)type I or anaphylaxis
b)type II or cytotoxic type
c)Type III or toxic complex reaction
2.cell mediated allergy
3.miscellaneous types( atopy )

Humoral allergy
 In the humoral allergy the reaction of antigen occurs
with humoral antibodies.
1. Type I (anaphylaxis) :
 It follows immediately after the administration of the
drug. Eg. it occurs in the sensitized patient when given
a penicillin inj. because the liberation of histamine
leading to unwanted results.
 Gastrointestinal allergy are also comes under the
immediate anaphylaxis type reaction

Treatment of anaphylaxis
anti-histamines
corticosteroid
calcium(I.V)

2. Type II (cytotoxic type):
In this type, antigen is localized on the surface of
target cell and the antibody present in the blood
combines with antigen to cause the lysis of the target
cell.
Eg. Haemolytic anaemia
Thrombocytopenia

3. Type III (toxic complex reaction):
 This occurs due to the presence of elevated levels of
antigen-antibody complexes that deposit on
basement membrane in tissue and vessels and
produce anaphylatoxic activities that increasing
vascular permeability and recruit Neutrophils to
site of complex deposition ,it may lead toxic
reactions.
Eg. Skin rashes
Arthritis.

Cell mediated allergy
 In it, antigen reacts directly with lymphoid cells so it
produce inflammatory response that cause cells
damage and it is also characterized by the influx of
antigen into the cells which activates macrophages and
this macrophages are responsible for tissue damage.
Eg. 1.bone-marrow lesions
2.lupus erythematous

Miscellaneous types (atopy)
 Atopic allergy may arise out of a single
contact or ingestion of common articles
of food or drugs in daily routine life.
Eg. Fever
Asthma
Eeosinophilia

Therapy in Immunopharmacology:

Immunosuppressant's
Immunomodulators
Immunoenhancers

Immunosuppressant's
 They are the agents that suppress the immune system. Most of
the immunosuppressant act in the induction phase of the
immunological response
Classification
 1.alkylating agents
Eg. cyclophosphamide, chlorambucil
 2.antibiotics
Eg. cyclosporine-A, rapamycin
 3.corticosteroids
Eg.prednisolon,hydrocortisone,dexamethasone etc.
 4.antimetabolities
Eg.azathipurine,mizorbine,mercaptopurine,methotrexate.
 5.antibody reagents
Eg.vaccines ,muromonab
 6.miscellaneous
Eg.thalidomide,zileatin,lipoxygenase inhibitors

Clinical applications
 Organ transplantation
 Treatment of auto immune disorders
 Treatment of haemolytic disease

immunomodulators
 These are the substances that modulate the
intensity of immune response by inducing
maturation of potentially immune
competent cells, expression of epitopes on
the cell membranes.
 Various immunomodulators are
1.thymic hormones Eg.thymopentin
2.reserpine
3.indomethacin
4.antihistamines

Immunoenhancers
 These are the agent that increase the immunity.
 The agents are:

1.BCG vaccine
 It is not only used for tuberculosis but also in
leukaemia
 Stimulates macrophages and this macrophages
produce cytotoxicity against neoplastic cells and also
increase phagocytic activity

2.lipopolysaccharides
 This agents increase antibody production and
produce the characteristic biological activities of
endotoxin from gram-positive bacteria
3.levamisole
 It is anthelmintic agent known to stimulate the
immune system
 It increases the breakdown of c-AMP and
decreases the breakdown of c-GMP so produce
the cytotoxicity and phagocytosis

Immunopharmacology

More Related Content

What's hot

Similar to Immunopharmacology

More from Manish Kumar

Recently uploaded

In this document

Immunopharmacology