Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 3, 2026

Assessment of Antibody-based Drugs Effects on Murine Bone Marrow and Peritoneal Macrophage Activation
Published on: December 26, 2017
Intravenous immunoglobulins in immunodeficiencies: more than mere replacement therapy
S V Kaveri1, M S Maddur, P Hegde
1Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale Unité 872, Paris, France. srini.kaveri@crc.jussieu.fr
Abstract:
Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) is a therapeutic compound prepared from pools of plasma obtained from several thousand healthy blood donors. For more than 20 years, IVIG has been used in the treatment of a wide range of primary and secondary immunodeficiencies. IVIG now represents a standard therapeutic option for most antibody deficiencies. Routinely, IVIG is used in patients with X-linked agammaglobulinaemia (XLA), common variable immunodeficiency (CVID), X-linked hyper-IgM, severe combined immunodeficiency, Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome, and selective IgG class deficiency. In addition, IVIG is used extensively in the treatment of a wide variety of autoimmune disorders. IVIG is administered at distinct doses in the two clinical settings: whereas immunodeficient patients are treated with replacement levels of IVIG, patients with autoimmune and inflammatory diseases are administered with very high doses of IVIG. Several lines of experimental evidence gathered in the recent years suggest that the therapeutic beneficial effect of IVIG in immunodeficiencies reflects an active role for IVIG, rather than a mere passive transfer of antibodies.
Related Concept Videos
Immunodeficiency Diseases
There are three main causes of immunodeficiency disorders...
Humoral Immune Responses
Development of Immunocompetence
The initial cells that migrate from the fetal thymus settle within the skin and epithelial tissues lining the mouth, digestive tract, and in females, the uterus and vagina. These cells, including skin-based dendritic cells, serve as antigen-presenting cells, playing a key role in T cell activation.
Subsequent T...
Inhibitors of Viral Protein Synthesis
Special Features of Adaptive Immunity
The primary cell types involved in adaptive immunity are T cells and B cells. Each type has a unique role in defending the body against pathogens. T cells are responsible for cell-mediated immunity. They identify and eliminate infected cells directly,...
Antibody Actions
Neutralization
Antibodies can bind to pathogens, preventing them from infecting host cells. This process...

