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POSTER PRESENTATION / POSTER SUNUM

Overview of Immunomodulators in Veterinary Medicine

Nurçin YILMAZ Yiğit GÜNEŞ Ceren ANLAŞ
*
Oya ÜSTÜNER Tülay BAKIREL

Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of
Pharmacology and Toxicology, Istanbul, TÜRKIYE

*Correspound Author: nurcin.yilmaz@iuc.edu.tr

Immunomodulators are substances that exert stimulatory or suppressive effects on
the immune system, regulating the responses of this complex system. These substances can
be divided into two main groups: immunostimulators, which strengthen the immune system
weakened by pathologies such as chronic inflammation, infection, and cancer, and
immunosuppressives, which suppress uncontrolled or harmful immune responses.
Immunoadjuvants, which enhance antigen presentation and adaptive immune responses
when used in conjunction with vaccines, can also be included in this classification.
Immunomodulators can be classified not only according to their clinical effects but also
based on their mechanism of action and source-based axes. For example, some
immunomodulatory agents enhance innate (nonspecific) immunity, while others target
adaptive (specific) immunity. While pathogen-specific immunomodulators, including
vaccines and antibody reagents, are used in specific situations such as preventing acute
infections, nonspecific immunomodulators are frequently used in the veterinary field for the
treatment and prophylaxis of various diseases. Based on their sources, immunomodulators
can be divided into three main groups: (i) biologically derived immunomodulators, which are
naturally produced by the organism or obtained through recombinant/biotechnological
methods (including cytokines such as interferon and interleukin); (ii) pharmacologically
synthesized synthetic immunomodulators (steroid and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories,
antibiotics, etc.); and (iii) natural immunomodulators of plant, animal, fungal, and
microorganism origin. This multi-axis classification supports the fact that
immunomodulators can be obtained from various sources and can induce targeted
responses. In veterinary medicine, immunomodulators are used as an alternative or
complement to conventional methods in combating various infectious diseases, managing
autoimmune and allergic diseases, cancer therapy, and improving vaccination practices.
However, currently, research on species-specific controlled immunomodulation in the
veterinary field remains more limited compared to human medicine. However, the volume
of studies on immunomodulation in the veterinary field is steadily increasing and is
anticipated to continue to be a dynamic field of research. In this context, our planned study

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