Immunostimulants, also known as immunostimulators, are substances (drugs and nutrients) that stimulate the
immune system usually in a non-specific manner by inducing activation or increasing activity of any of its components. One notable example is the
granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor. The goal of this stimulated immune response is usually to help the body have a stronger immune system response in order to improve outcomes in the case of an infection or cancer malignancy. There is also some evidence that immunostimulants may be useful to help decrease severe acute illness related to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or acute infections in the lungs.
Classification
There are two main categories of immunostimulants:[1]
Specific immunostimulants provide antigenic specificity in immune response, such as
vaccines or any
antigen.
Non-specific immunostimulants act irrespective of antigenic specificity to augment immune response of other antigen or stimulate components of the immune system without antigenic specificity, such as
adjuvants and non-specific immunostimulators.
Some publications point towards the effect of
deoxycholic acid (DCA) as an immunostimulant[9][10][11] of the non-specific
immune system, activating its main actors, the
macrophages. According to these publications, a sufficient amount of DCA in the human body corresponds to a good immune reaction of the non-specific immune system.[citation needed]
Immunostimulants have been recommended to help prevent acute illness related to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and they are sometimes used to treat chronic bronchitis.[13] The evidence in the form of high quality clinical trials to support their use is weak, however, there is some evidence of benefit and they appear to be safe.[14] The most commonly used immunostimulant type for this purpose are bacterial-derived immunostimulants. The goal is to stimulate the person's immune system in order to prevent future infections that may result in an acute episode or
exacerbation of COPD.[14]
^Kumar, S; Gupta P; Sharma S; Kumar D (2011). "A review on immunostimulatory plants". Journal of Chinese Integrative Medicine. 9 (2): 117–128.
doi:
10.3736/jcim20110201.
PMID21288444.
^Wira, Charles R.; Rodriguez-Garcia, Marta; Patel, Mickey V.; Biswas, Nabanita; Fahey, John V. (2015). "Endocrine Regulation of the Mucosal Immune System in the Female Reproductive Tract". In Mestecky, Jiri; Strober, Warren; Russell, Michael W.; Kelsall, Brian L.; Cheroutre, Hilde; Lambrecht, Bart N. (eds.). Mucosal Immunology (4th ed.). Academic Press. pp. 2141–2156.
doi:
10.1016/B978-0-12-415847-4.00110-5.
ISBN978-0-12-415847-4.