Author/Editor		Novaković, S; Rudolf, Z
Title		Role of MDP and its analogues in experimental and clinical oncology
Translated title		Vloga MDP in njegovih analogov v poskusni in klinični onkologiji
Type		članek
Source		Acta Pharm Zagreb
Vol. and No.		Letnik 45, št. 2
Publication year		1995
Volume		str. 75-81
Language		eng
Abstract		Immunotherapy is a treatment modality of cancer patients with the purpose of stimulating the immune system of the affected organism. Briefly, immunotherapy acts directly upon tumor cells by stimulating their differentation and histocompatibility complex antigen expression. At the same time this kind of therapy affects immunocompetent cells, since it stimulates their proliferation and differentiation, activates them and triggers the production of "own" - endogenous cytokines. Muramyl dipeptide (MDP) and its structural analogues are into the group of nonspecific immunomodulators that are capable of stimulating the antitumor activity of macrophages, T lymphocytes and NK cells. Toxic side effects of therapy with MDP or analogues are of relatively low intensity, which makes them suitable for long-term treatment of cancer makes them suitable for long-term treatment of cancer patients. According to the fact that MDP and analogues have an indirect antitumor activity (via the activation of immune system) which to a great extent depends upon the tumor burden, we see the perspectives for their use predominantly as adjuvant therapy following more radical treatment procedures.
Descriptors		NEOPLASMS ACETYLMURAMYL-ALANYL-ISOGLUTAMINE