Chemicals and Drugs

Immunologic Adjuvants

Substances that augment, stimulate, activate, potentiate, or modulate the immune response at either the cellular or humoral level. The classical agents (Freund's adjuvant, BCG, Corynebacterium parvum, et al.) contain bacterial antigens. Some are endogenous (e.g., histamine, interferon, transfer factor, tuftsin, interleukin-1). Their mode of action is either non-specific, resulting in increased immune responsiveness to a wide variety of antigens, or antigen-specific, i.e., affecting a restricted type of immune response to a narrow group of antigens. The therapeutic efficacy of many biological response modifiers is related to their antigen-specific immunoadjuvanticity.

National Library of MedicineMedical Subject Headings2026

Structured Summary

Abstract

Substances that augment, stimulate, activate, potentiate, or modulate the immune response at either the cellular or humoral level. The classical agents (Freund's adjuvant, BCG, Corynebacterium parvum, et al.) contain bacterial antigens. Some are endogenous (e.g., histamine, interferon, transfer factor, tuftsin, interleukin-1). Their mode of action is either non-specific, resulting in increased immune responsiveness to a wide variety of antigens, or antigen-specific, i.e., affecting a restricted type of immune response to a narrow group of antigens. The therapeutic efficacy of many biological response modifiers is related to their antigen-specific immunoadjuvanticity.

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Synonyms

14 entry terms
  • Adjuvant, Immunologic
  • Adjuvants, Immunologic
  • Adjuvants, Immunological
  • Immunoactivators
  • Immunoadjuvant
  • Immunoadjuvants
  • Immunologic Adjuvant
  • Immunological Adjuvant
  • Immunopotentiator
  • Immunopotentiators
  • Immunostimulant
  • Immunostimulants
  • Adjuvant, Immunological
  • Immunological Adjuvants

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Aspects Covered

25 allowable subheadings

Indexed with the subheadings administration & dosage, adverse effects, analysis, biosynthesis, blood, cerebrospinal fluid, chemical synthesis, chemistry, classification, deficiency, economics, genetics, history, isolation & purification, metabolism, pharmacokinetics, pharmacology, physiology, poisoning, radiation effects, standards, supply & distribution, therapeutic use, toxicity, urine.

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History Note

65

MeSH Hierarchy

Tree Number

  1. D27.505.696.477.067w

MeSH Record

NLM Classification

QW 800

AMA Style

References

  1. National Library of Medicine. Immunologic Adjuvants. Medical Subject Headings (MeSH). 2026. Unique ID D000276. http://id.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/2026/D000276
  2. Immunologic Adjuvants. In: Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immunologic_adjuvant
  3. Immunologic Adjuvants. In: Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q967453