The Role of Immunostimulants in Immunotherapy and Immunoprophylaxis

Abstract

Medical practice faces serious problems due to the constantly increasing bacterial poly-resistance to antibiotics, and the side effects of the latter, often including allergic and immunosuppressive reactions. One way to resolve this problem is the application of immunomodulators that increase resistance to bacterial and viral infections by stimulating non-specific immunity mechanisms. In the course of more than 20 years a number of oral immunomodulators have been developed and investigated in the NCIPD, Sofia: Respivax, Urostim and Dentavax which are widely and successfully applied in clinical practice for immunotherapy and immunomodulation.Data about the effects of polybacterial immunomodulators demonstrate a pronounced stimulation of phagocytosis, synthesis of secretory IgA, surfactant, interferon and a number of Th1 type of cytokines. Numerous investigations, including double-blind studies, have proved their efficacy in the prevention and treatment of non-specific respiratory, uro-genital and periodontal infections as well as in the complex therapy of AIDS. Based on this, polybacterial immunostimulators seem a very promising tool for immunotherapy and immunoprevention, allowing the modulation of immune responses in a most beneficial way.