How Do Immunosuppressants Work? Mechanism, Benefits, and Risks
An immunosuppressant is a medicine or drug that lowers a person’s capability to reject the transplanted organ. Immunosuppressant drugs are also called anti-rejection drugs. Commonly, people come across a couple of immunosuppressants like:
Maintenance drugs – This comprises anti rejection medicines that a patient takes for a long time.
Induction drugs – The induction drugs are potent anti rejection medications that are taken during the time of transplant.
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What are the Uses of Immunosuppressive Drugs?
Immunosuppressive drugs are some classes of drugs that lessen, suppress, or strengthen the immune system of a person’s body. A few drugs are utilized for making the human body less likely to reject some transplanted organs, like kidneys, heart, or liver. There are some other immunosuppressant drugs too that are utilized for treating a few autoimmune disorders, like psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, and lupus.
If a physician recommends a patient immunosuppressive medication, then he should be aware of the functions of these drugs, the method in which they work, besides how these medications might make him feel.
Types of Immunosuppressive Agent
Corticosteroids is the most common immunosuppressant that most doctors prescribe. Based on the condition and symptoms the doctor prescribes one immunosuppressive or a combination of it.
Liquid, pill or Injection shot, immunosuppressives can be of any type. The types include -
Calcineurin inhibitors like tacrolimus and cyclosporine.
Biologics such as infliximab , adalimumab etc.
Corticosteroids (prednisone).
Janus kinase like tofacitinib.
Inosine monophosphate dehydrogenase like mycophenolate mofetil.
Rapamycin as sirolimus.
Monoclonal antibodies like basiliximab.
Get known to the Theory of Immunosuppression
Immunosuppressive therapy is commonly utilized for aiding organ transplants. The body of a patient does feel a foreign object before his immune system does attack it. Immunosuppressive drugs are helpful in lessening the danger of a patient who rejects a new organ. This therapy is considered a drug routine that patients utilize for lowering the immune responses of their bodies. These drugs turn helpful to the doctors for stopping patients’ immune systems from overreacting as well as damaging transplanted tissues and organs. Commonly, everyone is needed to take some immunosuppressant drugs while getting an organ transplant. Only in some cases a patient doesn’t take these drugs.
What are the Conditions that Immunosuppressive Therapy Treats?
Immunosuppressive therapy turns useful for treating some immunosuppressive diseases besides organ transplants, and they are:
Multiple sclerosis
Inflammatory bowel disease, like Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn’s Disease
Myelodysplastic Syndromes or MDS
Lupus
Aplastic anaemia
Rheumatoid arthritis
What are the Immunosuppressant Side Effects?
The side effects of immunosuppressants do vary for different immunosuppressant drugs that are obtainable. For finding out the side effects, you need to consult your physician or the pharmacist. Nonetheless, it is important to note that every immunosuppressant drug carries a severe danger of infection. If an immunosuppressant drug does weaken your immune system, then your body turns less resistant to infections. It also means they turn you more prone to getting infections. This also signifies that the infections will turn out to be tougher for treating.
When you get the symptoms of infection mentioned below, you need to get in touch with a physician.
Trouble in urinating
Chills or fever
Pain when you urinate
Pain in your lower back’s side
Weakness or abnormal tiredness
Frequent urination
You need to be mindful that immunosuppressants can leave a potent effect on your body, and so, a healthcare provider does suggest having regular blood tests done. This will ensure that the levels of medication have not reached a higher level. Some other side effects are:
Diabetes
Acne
Headaches
The slow growth of hair
Fatigue
Tremors
High blood pressure
Stomach upset along with vomiting and nausea
Weight gain
Thinning bones or osteoporosis
Mouth sores
FAQs on Immunosuppressant: Definition, Types, and Role in Biology
1. What is an immunosuppressant and what does it do?
An immunosuppressant is a type of medication that reduces the strength and activity of the body's immune system. Its main job is to prevent the immune system from attacking healthy cells or foreign tissues, which is crucial in certain medical situations. These are also known as anti-rejection drugs.
2. In which two major medical conditions are immunosuppressants used?
Immunosuppressants are primarily used in two key scenarios:
- Organ Transplantation: To prevent the recipient's body from rejecting a new organ (like a kidney, liver, or heart), which it would naturally identify as a foreign object.
- Autoimmune Diseases: To treat conditions where the immune system mistakenly attacks the body's own tissues, such as in rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, or psoriasis.
3. What are some common examples of immunosuppressive drugs?
Several types of immunosuppressive drugs are used in medicine. Some well-known examples include:
- Cyclosporin A: A powerful agent used widely in organ transplantation.
- Corticosteroids: Such as Prednisone, which reduces inflammation.
- Azathioprine: Used for both organ transplants and autoimmune disorders.
- Tacrolimus: Another key drug for preventing organ rejection.
- Sirolimus: Often used in kidney transplant patients.
4. How exactly do immunosuppressants prevent organ transplant rejection?
After an organ transplant, the recipient's immune system, particularly cells called T-lymphocytes, recognises the new organ as foreign and attacks it. This process is called graft rejection. Immunosuppressants work by specifically inhibiting or suppressing these T-lymphocytes and other parts of the immune response, effectively calming the attack and allowing the body to accept the new organ.
5. What is the key difference between immunosuppression and immunodeficiency?
While both involve a weakened immune system, their causes are different. Immunosuppression is the intentional reduction of immune activity using medication as a planned treatment. In contrast, immunodeficiency is a condition where the immune system is unintentionally weakened or impaired, often due to a genetic disease (like SCID) or an infection (like HIV/AIDS).
6. Why does taking an immunosuppressant increase a person's risk of infections?
The immune system's job is to fight off harmful invaders like bacteria, viruses, and fungi. Since immunosuppressants deliberately weaken this defence system to prevent organ rejection or autoimmune attacks, they also lower the body's ability to fight off genuine infections. This makes a person more vulnerable to getting sick from common germs.
7. How is the fungus Trichoderma polysporum related to immunosuppression?
The fungus Trichoderma polysporum is very important in this context because it is the natural source of Cyclosporin A. This substance, produced by the fungus, was discovered to have powerful immunosuppressive properties. It is now widely used as a crucial medication to prevent organ rejection in transplant patients.
8. What is a real-world example of how an immunosuppressant works for an autoimmune disease?
In rheumatoid arthritis, the immune system attacks the joints, causing inflammation, pain, and damage. An immunosuppressant can be prescribed to calm this specific autoimmune response. By suppressing the mistaken attack on the joints, the drug helps to reduce inflammation and pain, preventing further damage and improving the patient's quality of life.
