Review of immunosuppressive drugs in organ transplantation

: In transplantation method, efforts should be made to prevent the patient immunological reaction against the transplantation antigen. In the same time, the patient general immunological reactivity must be kept. With the increasing need for transplantation the interest for new immunosuppressive drugs has become greater. The use of immunosuppressive drugs have dated since early 1950 (azatioprin and steroids). 1960 there was the appearance of the polyclonal ALG/ATG. In 1970 the true advance has been the discovery of the first selective immunosuppressive-cyclosporin (second generation). The third generation of immunosuppressive drugs with high specific place of action, has become available now (tacrolimus, thymoglobulin, zenepax, rapamune). The purpose of this paper was to show the different groups of immunosuppressive drugs, taking into account a different place of effects and different mechanisms of their immunosuppressive action. The aim of the immunosuppressive drugs combination is to achieve the optimal immunosuppression with minimal side-effects.