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Immunostimulants can be specific or nonspecific, with vaccines being the most commonly used in the general population. Adjuvants, cytokines, synthetic drugs, and immunostimulating nutrients like vitamin C and beta-glucans are also used to enhance immune function.
Immunostimulants are substances that modulate the immune system by stimulating the function of one or more components of the system. There are two types. Specific immunostimulants, such as vaccines, stimulate an immune response to one or more specific antigenic types. In contrast, nonspecific immunostimulants have no antigenic specificity but can act as general stimulants that enhance the function of certain types of immune cells.
In terms of immunostimulatory substances used in the general human population, vaccines are the most commonly employed. Vaccines are used to stimulate a protective immune response to the antigens of specific pathogens. The flu vaccine, for example, uses different antigens from different strains of the flu virus. People who are vaccinated are then protected against infection by those particular strains.
Another type of immunostimulant called an adjuvant is often used in combination with vaccines. Adjuvants are a type of non-specific immunostimulant. Administering an adjuvant along with a vaccine helps generate a stronger protective response to the antigens in the vaccine, providing a better degree of protection against the pathogen. An example of an adjuvant is alum, which is often used in human vaccines. Alum is composed of aluminum salts such as aluminum hydroxide and aluminum phosphate.
Many chemicals produced by the human body function as immunostimulants. Cytokines are a type of immunostimulant produced by cells of the immune system, and many play a role in enhancing immune function. In addition, some female sex hormones, such as granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor, prolactin, and growth hormone, are known to have immunostimulatory effects.
Several types of synthetic immunostimulating drugs have been produced. One of them is Macrokine, also known as tetrachlorodecaoxide, which has a variety of functions. Immunostimulating drugs such as Macrokine can work as adjuvants and have been used in the treatment of ulcers, diabetic foot problems and for wound dressings.
Immunostimulating nutrients are substances obtained from food or medicinal plants that have a stimulating effect on the immune system. This class of immunostimulants includes different vitamins, minerals and other types of nutrients. One of the best known is vitamin C, but although anecdotal evidence and the results of some studies indicate an immune-boosting effect, the true role of this vitamin is not yet well understood. However, vitamin C has been shown in at least one study to reduce the duration of the common cold infection, but the severity of symptoms is not reduced.
Beta-glucans are another type of immune-boosting nutrient, found in plants, fungi and bacteria. Various types of beta-glucans are found in the cellulose fibers of trees and plants and can also be found in yeasts, bacteria and fungi. Beta-glucans have been tested as an adjuvant in cancer therapy, for wound dressing to help prevent post-surgical infection, as a treatment for radiation exposure, and in the treatment of certain types of allergies.
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