Nucleic Acids and/or Their Components: A Possible Role in Immune Function

Dietary sources of nucleic acids and/or their components, have not been considered essential for normal growth and development. However, growing evidence shows that the compounds regulate various steps of the immune system and demonstrate the neccessity of the com-pounds in the response to immunological challenge. The significance of exogenously administered purine or pyrimidine bases, nucleotides, and nucleosides in the immune response is reviewed.