Immunostimulants are substances that enhance the immune response, classified into specific and non-specific types, including vaccines and cytokines. Various forms include bacterial and viral vaccines, colony stimulating factors, interferons, interleukins, and therapeutic vaccines, each with specific medical uses and potential side effects. The document also outlines combination vaccines which merge multiple antigens to reduce the number of required immunizations, along with their benefits and side effects.

1. Immunostimulant
Hemanta Rajhkhowa
Roll No:03
B.Pharm 8th sem
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences
DIBRUGARH UNIVERSITY

2. Content
Definition of immunostimulant
Classification
Different types of Immunostimulant
Bacterial vaccine.
Colony stimulating factors.
Interferons.
Interleukins.
Therapeutic vaccines.
Vaccine combinations.
Viral vaccines.
Reference.

3. Definition of Immunostimulant
Immunostimulant, also known as immunostimulators, are
substances(drugs and nutrients) that stimulate the immune
system by inducing activation or increasing activity of any
of its components. One notable example is the granulocyte
macrophage colony-stimulant factor.

4. Classification
 Specific immunostimulants.
 Non-specific immunostimulants.
 Specific immunostimulants provide antigenic specificity in
immune responses, such as vaccine or any antigen.
 Non-specific act irrespective of antigenic specificity to augment
immune response of other antigen or stimulate components of
immune system without antigenic specificity, such as adjuvant
and non-specific immunostimulators.

5. Different types of
immunustimulants
 Bacterial vaccine.
 Colony stimulating factors.
 Interferons.
 Interleukins.
 Therapeutic vaccines.
 Vaccine combinations.
 Viral vaccines.

6.  Bacterial Vaccines:
Bacterial vaccines contain killed or attenuated
bacteria that activate the immune system. Antibodies are
built against that particular bacteria, and prevents
bacterial infection later.
-An example of a bacterial vaccine is the Tuberculosis
vaccine.
 Use:
BCG(TB) vaccine is used in many countries with a high
prevalence of TB to prevent childhood tuberculous
meningitis and miliary disease.
 Side effect of Tuberculosis vaccine:
Serious side effect of BCG(TB) vaccine, such as
anaphylactic reaction( a serious allergic reaction), are
very rare.

7.  Colony stimulating Factors:
Colony stimulating factors are glycoprotiens that promote
production of white blood cells(mainly granulocytes such as
neutrophils), in response to infection.
-An administration of exogenous colony stimulating factors
stimulates the stem cells in the bone marrow to produce
more of the particular white blood cells. The new white
blood cells migrate into the blood and fight the infection.
 Use:
Colony stimulating factors are used in patients who are
undergoing cancer treatment that causes low white blood
cell counts ( neutropenia) and puts the patient at risk of
infections. Colony stimulating factors tend to reduce the time
where patients are neutropenic.

8.  Interferons:
Interferons are cytokines produced by host cells in
response to viral infections. These are three types of α,ß and
Ɣ interferons in men.
 They also have immunomodulating and antiproliferative
properties.
 They inhibit the multiplication of many DNA & RNA viruses.
 Adverse effect:
Including myelosuppresion, hypertension, arrhythmias,
al0opecia, headache and arthralgia. It can also cause
neurotoxicity resulting in confusion, sedation and rarely
seizures.
contd….

9. USE:
 Chronic hepatitis B and C.
 Kaposi’s sarcoma in AIDS patients.
 Genetic warts caused by papilloma virus- interferons
are injected into the lesion.
 Hairy cell leukemia.
 Rhinovirus cold- Interferon α is given intranasally for
prophylaxis.

10.  Interleukins:
Interleukins are a group of cytokines which
are synthesized by lymphocytes, monocytes,
macrophages, and certain other cells. The function
especially in regulation of the immune system.
ex- Aldesleukin, Oprelvekin etc.
 Use:
They are mainly used in treatment of cancer
therapy.

11. Therapeutic vaccines:
Therapeutic vaccines are vaccines which are
intended to treat or cure a disorder or disease by
stimulating the immune system.
Use:
 They may be used to treat certain types of cancer, by
stimulating the body’s immune system to help it
respond against certain cancer cell.
 They may also be used in the prevention of tuberculosis
who are at high risk for exposure.

12.  Vaccine combination:
Vaccine combinations merge antigens that prevent
different diseases or that protect against multiple strains
of infectious agents causing the same disease, into a
single product. This reduces the number of injections
required to prevent some diseases.
Use:
Combination vaccines combined protection against
two or more diseases into one shot. The measles, mumps
and rubella vaccine(MMR) and diphtheria, tetanus and
pertusis vaccine(DTaP) each protect our child against
three diseases & that means fewer delays in disease
protection for children.

13.  Some example of common combination vaccines for children:
 Comvax, which combines Hib and Hep B.
 Twnrix, which combines Hep A and Hep B.
 Pediarix, which combines DTaP, Hep B and IPV(polio).
 Kinrix, which combines DTaP and IPV (polio)
 Pentacel, which combines DTaP, IPV(polio) and Hib.
 Side effect s of Combination vaccine:
Side effects from combination vaccines are usually mild.
They are similar to those individual vaccines given
separately.
Sometimes combination vaccines are usually causes
slightly more pain or swelling where the shot was given. But
the child got the shots individually, he or she might have
pain or swelling in two or three spots, instead of just one.

14.  Viral Vaccine:
Viral vaccines contains either inactivated virus or
attenuated(alive but not capable of causing disease)
viruses.
Inactivated or killed viral vaccines contain viruses,
which have lost their ability to replicated and in order
for it to bring about a response it contains more antigen
than live vaccines. Attenuated or live vaccines contain
the live from of the virus. These viruses are not
pathogenic but are able to induce an immune response.

15.  Side effect:
Common side effect are-
1) Blood in the urine or stool.
2)Pneumonia.
3)Inflammation of the stomach or intestines.

16. Reference:
List of immunostimulant-
Drugs.com.uhtml.
Immunosuppresive drug
Wikipedia.uhtml.
Immunostimulant-Wikipedia.uhtml.