The immunomodulatory effects of ivermectin on human monocyte-derived dendritic cells

Abstract

Ivermectin, a drug used to treat parasitic infections, has gained attention for its possible immune system-modulating effects beyond its usual medical applications. This research aims to investigate the effect of ivermectin as immunomodulatory through its impact on moDCs by studying the amount of HLA-DQ molecules and CD86 molecules on moDCs by flow cytometry and their production of proinflammatory cytokines (IL-6 and TNF-a) by ELISA, by analysing the impacts of different treatments (control, DMSO, ivermectin, pIC+DMSO, pIC+LyoVec+DMSO, pIC+Ivermectin, pIC+LyoVec+Ivermectin) on moDCs and their role in immune regulation during viral infections. The results, meticulously obtained through the flow cytometry method, revealed no significant differences in cell vitality under various experimental conditions. This indicates that the concentration of 2.5 micromolar, whether used alone or in combination with other treatments, did not exhibit any toxic effects on the cells, reinforcing the safety of the experimental setup.