Immune stimulant

Immune stimulants stimulate the immune system . Such immune stimulation (stimulation of the body's defense system) is so that the immune system activating form of immunomodulation .

Immune stimulating act z. B. endogenous substances such as

• Interleukins (IL)
• Interferons (IFN)
• Transforming growth factor -ß (TGF-ß)
• colony stimulating factors (CSF)

as well as exogenous substances such as

• active vaccinations
• Immune checkpoint inhibitors such as CTLA4 , PD-1 and PD-L1 inhibitors, which stimulate the body's own immune response against cancer cells via various mechanisms.
• bacterial and vegetable immunostimulants. They are supposed to strengthen the body's defenses in order to prevent infectious diseases or to alleviate their course. Examples are Bacillus Calmette-Guérin and extracts from Echinacea purpurea , Echinacea pallida , Pelargonium root or arborvitae . However, their effectiveness is controversial.

Web links

• V. Wahn: Immune stimulation to "strengthen the immune system"? ImmunDefektCentrum Berlin; accessed on February 10, 2017