Review article

Immunomodulatory Effect of Azithromycin

Alemka Markotić

Abstract

Azithromycin is a broad-spectrum antibiotic from a group of macrolide antibiotics that has a strong immunomodulatory effect. Relatively few papers focusing on this extremely important property of azithromycin have been published so far. Nevertheless, available literature reveals its enormous potential for immunomodulatory effect at the cell and tissue level and in various clinical entities, primarily in the pathology of various acute and chronic respiratory disorders and infections. Accumulating within a whole string of cells, azithromycin uses different immune mechanisms (epithelial cells, fibroblasts, monocytes/macrophages, dendritic cells, NK cells, T lymphocytes, neutrophils, mast cells, eosinophils) to exert its immunomodulatory effect. A limited number of clinical studies indicate the immunomodulatory effect of azithromycin in various infections, primarily respiratory infections, as well as in skin and subcutaneous tissue infections, sexually transmitted diseases and gastrointestinal infections and diseases. In most of these studies, conclusions regarding the immunomodulatory effect of azithromycin are, in part, based on various calculations supported by in vitro or ex vivo studies. Given its effective antimicrobial activity against numerous microorganisms, together with its potent immunomodulatory effect, azithromycin is an effective therapeutic drug indicated for the treatment of both acute and chronic infections, as well as certain clinical entities and chronic diseases for which no infectious agent has been proven.

Keywords

azithromycin; anti-inflammatory effect; inflammation; immunomodulation

Hrčak ID:

214609

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/214609

Publication date:

31.10.2018.

Article data in other languages: croatian

Visits: 8.047 *