Chemistry of immunomodulators.

A large number of synthetic derivatives, inorganic compounds or naturally occurring substances are able to depress, regulate or enhance the immune response. Immunomodulators, among which some are chemically well defined and others are complex preparations, exhibit a great variety of chemical structures which are briefly reviewed, without details on their immunopharmacological properties. These molecules allow access to a new type of therapy which aims at acting on the host defense mechanisms.