Page 1367 - Veterinary Immunology, 10th Edition

Complex Carbohydrates, 469
VetBooks.ir Vitamins, 469

Cytokines and Monoclonal Antibodies, 469

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

After reading this chapter, you should be able to:
• Explain how corticosteroids suppress the immune and inflammatory responses

and hence are the most widely employed immunosuppressants.
• Explain how immunosuppressive drugs used to prevent allograft rejection or to
treat autoimmune disease may either be nonspecific inhibitors of cell division or

block the activation of T cells.
• Describe the mode of action of cyclosporine and related immunosuppressive
drugs.

• Briefly describe some drugs employed to stimulate the immune system and how
they are believed to work.
• Explain how specific monoclonal antibodies can block key points in immune or

pathological processes.
• Understand why cytokine therapy may eventually be useful in veterinary

medicine.
• Discuss how intravenous immunoglobulin therapy probably works.
• Define alkylating agent, folic acid antagonist, calcineurin inhibitor, and target of
rapamycin.

• Discuss the role of vitamin treatment in enhancing disease resistance.

Many clinical situations exist in which it is desirable to either
stimulate or suppress the adaptive immune system. Many different
drugs and techniques are available to do this. Indeed, this area of

immunology is a discipline in its own right, called
immunopharmacology.

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