title: Intravenous immunoglobulin-mediated immunosuppression and the development of an IVIG substitute.
abstract: Immunoglobulins are glycoproteins produced by the cells of the immune system. Their primary function is to protect the body from pathogenic infection. Moreover, a concentrated polyclonal mixture of immunoglobulin G (IgG), the so-called intravenous IgG (IVIG), has been used to treat various chronic and systemic disorders of the immune system. Studies on the effects of IVIG in autoimmune disease models have revealed that IgG Fc fragments confer protection against various autoimmune diseases. The identification of this IgG Fc immunomodulatory component is important for the development of IVIG substitutes. The focus of this review is to introduce one of the Fc regulatory entities and to provide a summary of the current knowledge of the putative general mechanisms underlying IVIG activity in vivo on the basis of these Fc fragments. We also address the recent insights into several approaches for the development of IVIG substitutes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Science and Technology, SMART Institute of Advanced Biomedical Science, Institute of Functional Genomics, Konkuk University, 1 Hwayang-dong, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, 143-701, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Miglena G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Prabagar
authors.forename: Hyeong-jwa
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Jin-Yeon
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Sohee
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Loh
authors.forename: Young-Sun
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Kang
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D007141:Immunoglobulin Fc Fragments / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016756:Immunoglobulins, Intravenous / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007165:Immunosuppression Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D007141:Immunoglobulin Fc Fragments; D016756:Immunoglobulins, Intravenous; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents