Mode of action of levamisole.

G Goldstein - The Journal of rheumatology. Supplement, 1978 - europepmc.org
G Goldstein
The Journal of rheumatology. Supplement, 1978europepmc.org
Levamisole is a heterocyclic compound that is an effective antihelminthic agent and is also
immunoregulatory. Its likely immuno-regulatory mode of action is by mimicry of the thymic
hormone thymopoietin. Chemically, levamisole may form a thymopoietin-mimetic tertiary
structure, stimulate lymphocytes by its imidazole component, or be metabolized to OMPI, a
reducing compound which affects radical scavenging in multiplying lymphocytes.
Physiologically, thymopoietin affects many components of the immune system including both …
Levamisole is a heterocyclic compound that is an effective antihelminthic agent and is also immunoregulatory. Its likely immuno-regulatory mode of action is by mimicry of the thymic hormone thymopoietin. Chemically, levamisole may form a thymopoietin-mimetic tertiary structure, stimulate lymphocytes by its imidazole component, or be metabolized to OMPI, a reducing compound which affects radical scavenging in multiplying lymphocytes. Physiologically, thymopoietin affects many components of the immune system including both neutrophils, macrophages, and lymphocytes and its therapeutically important actions are probably targeted at stimulation of phagocytosis and stimulation of regulatory T cells to restore homeostasis in a perturbed immune system.
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