The key difference between immunosuppressants and immunomodulators is that immunosuppressants are drugs that suppress or reduce the strength of the immune system, while immunomodulators are drugs that either suppress or stimulate the strength of the immune system.
Immunosuppressants and immunomodulators are two types of drugs that control the immune system. The immune system has tremendous importance in human diseases like immunological diseases that include type 1 diabetes mellitus, rheumatoid arthritis, malignancies, asthma, and allergic reaction. Controlling the immune system by using immunosuppressants and immunomodulators is a treatment regime for above human diseases.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What are Immunosuppressants
3. What are Immunomodulators
4. Similarities – Immunosuppressants and Immunomodulators
5. Immunosuppressants vs Immunomodulators in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Immunosuppressants vs Immunomodulators
What are Immunosuppressants?
Immunosuppressants are drugs that suppress or reduce the strength of the immune system. Almost every patient who is transplanted should take immunosuppressants in order to allow the transplanted organ to remain healthy and free from damage. Some immunosuppressant drugs make sure that the body is less likely to reject transplanted organs like the liver, heart, and kidney in human transplantations. Since these drugs allow transplanted organs to remain healthy and free from damage, they are also called antirejection drugs. Other immunosuppressants are used to control or suppress the overactive immune system in autoimmune diseases such as lupus, psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, multiple myeloma, and alopecia areata.
Figure 01: Immunosuppressants
Immunosuppressant drugs come as tablets, liquids, or injection forms. Doctors will decide the best form for their patients. Sometimes, doctors may prescribe a combination of drugs that must be taken exactly as prescribed. Examples of immunosuppressants may include corticosteroids (prednisone), Janus kinase inhibitors (tofacitinib), calcineurin inhibitors (cyclosporine), mTOR inhibitors (sirolimus), IMDH inhibitors (azathioprine), biologics (abatacept, adalimumab, etc.). However, as immunosuppressants weaken the immune system, patients are more likely to get side effects such as infections. The symptoms of infections may include fever, chills, pain in the side of the lower back, trouble urinating, pain during urination, frequent urination, and unusual tiredness.
What are Immunomodulators?
Immunomodulators are drugs that either suppress or stimulate the strength of the immune system. When an immunomodulator stimulates the immune system, it gives the immune system a boost to help it to respond to severe diseases. These types of immunomodulators are used in cancer treatment. However, when an immunomodulator suppresses the immune system, it lowers the immune system activity. These types of immunomodulators are used in the treatment of autoimmune diseases.
Figure 02: Immunomodulators
Immunomodulators that are used in cancer treatment include immune checkpoint inhibitors, cytokines, immunomodulating agents (thalidomide and lenalidomide), chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells, and cancer vaccines. Furthermore, immunomodulators (traditional immunosuppressants) can be used to treat autoimmune disorders such as methotrexate, sulfasalazine, cyclosporine, azathioprine, leflunomide, and hydroxychloroquine. Immunomodulators can be administrated orally (tablets), through injections, intravenously, or as a topical application. The side effects may include contracting infections, fatigue, nausea and vomiting, diarrhoea, headache, body aches and pains, swelling and redness in the injection site, allergic reactions, constipation, drowsiness, low blood count, and neuropathy.
What are the Similarities Between Immunosuppressants and Immunomodulators?
- Immunosuppressants and immunomodulators are two types of drugs that control the immune system.
- Both drugs can suppress the immune system.
- These drugs are used to treat human diseases.
- Both drugs must be only used after a prescription from a doctor.
- Both drugs have side effects.
What is the Difference Between Immunosuppressants and Immunomodulators?
Immunosuppressants are the drugs that suppress or reduce the strength of the immune system, while immunomodulators are the drugs that either suppress or stimulate the strength of the immune system. Thus, this is the key difference between immunosuppressants and immunomodulators. Furthermore, immunosuppressants are used to treat autoimmune diseases, while immunomodulators are used to treat both autoimmune diseases and cancers.
The below infographic presents the differences between immunosuppressants and immunomodulatory in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.
Summary – Immunosuppressants vs Immunomodulators
Immunosuppressants and immunomodulators are drugs that can control the immune system. They are used to treat various human diseases, such as immunological diseases. Immunosuppressants are the drugs that suppress or reduce the strength of the immune system, while immunomodulators are the drugs that either suppress or stimulate the strength of the immune system. So, this is the key difference between immunosuppressants and immunomodulators.
Reference:
1. “Immunosuppressants: Definition, Treatment & What Is It.” Cleveland Clinic.
2.“Immunomodulators: Types, Uses, Effectiveness, Side Effects, More.” Healthline, Healthline Media.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Ridaforolimus” By Wingman – Own work (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “KEAP1 NRF2 modulating antitumor response” By Warren L. Wu and Thales Papagiannakopoulos – (CC BY 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia