Asked • 03/27/19

How does immunosuppressant affect immune system?

I'm talking Immuran (azathioprine) and I would like to know what it does to immune system exactly. I'm not a doctor but I'm asking here just to learn. Does it kill all white cells? Does it reduce the number of white blood cells? Or does it just prevent them from doing their function? What if a virus entered my body?\r

Omer A.

tutor
Every immunosuppressant dulls the effectiveness of the immune system in different ways. For example,steroid or glucocorticoids are also immunossuppressants because of their effects on the WBCs i.e. they enhance the apoptosis(cell death) of some types of WBCs. Azathioprine is another immunosuppressant that leads to inhibition of DNA or nucleotide synthesis of the white blood cells leading to their decreased proliferation.
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02/22/20

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