title: Immune adjuvants in early life: targeting the innate immune system to overcome impaired adaptive response.
abstract: The neonatal phase is a transitory period characterized by an absence of memory cells, favoring a slow adaptive response prone to tolerance effects and the development of Th2-type responses. However, when appropriately stimulated, neonates may achieve an immune response comparable with adult counterparts. One strategy to stimulate the immunological response of neonates or children in early infancy has been to explore natural or synthetic ligands of cell receptors to stimulate innate immunity. The use of adjuvants for activating different cell receptors may be the key to enhancing neonatal adaptive immunity. This review highlights recent advances in the emerging field of molecular adjuvants of innate immune response and their implications for the development of immunotherapies, with particular focus on the neonatal period.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Dermatologia e Imunodeficiência, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, Instituto de Medicina Tropical - Prédio II, Av Dr Enéas de Carvalho Aguiar 500, 05403-000 São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Cyro Alves
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: de Brito
authors.forename: Adriana Letícia
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Goldoni
authors.forename: Maria Notomi
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Sato
mesh_terms: D056704:Adaptive Immunity; D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002450:Cell Communication; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D007167:Immunotherapy; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D058408:Th1-Th2 Balance / Q000187:drug effects; D051193:Toll-Like Receptors / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D051193:Toll-Like Receptors