Guide To Cyclosporine

While the immune system normally protects the body from threats, such as viruses and bacteria, it can sometimes become unregulated. When left unchecked, this can lead to serious health consequences. This includes chronic inflammation or organ damage. Cyclosporine, an immunosuppressant, is often used to prevent or treat an unregulated immune system.

Patients will receive cyclosporine tablets before or after organ transplants. In some cases, a cyclosporine oral solution is used. It can be used as prescription eye drops for some eye conditions. This medication is also a treatment for arthritis and many other health issues. Of course, patients need to know about how cyclosporine pills work, as well as possible side effects and interactions first.

How It Works

Cyclosporine suppresses the immune system by reducing an enzyme known as calcineurin. This enzyme is a major part of the immune system because it plays an important role in creating T-cells. These are a type of white blood cell. T-cells respond to foreign cells within the body, which are recognized as threats, by causing damage to them. During organ transplants, T-cells may mistakenly attack and cause damage to an organ because it recognizes the organ's cells as a foreign threat. In addition to this, T-cells also play a role in inflammation because they can activate other types of white blood cells responsible for causing inflammation.

An overactive immune system, or one that does not function correctly, can result in autoimmune disorders and health conditions that involve chronic inflammation. As this medication reduces calcineurin, the enzyme that regulates T-cells, it can help prevent many of these health conditions. For this reason, this medication is also known as a calcineurin inhibitor.

Uses And Benefits

Cyclosporine is beneficial as a treatment in many different conditions that involve immune dysfunction. The most common condition it is prescribed for is graft rejection. This is also known as transplant rejection. In this disorder, the immune system of an organ transplant recipient rejects a donor's organ. This happens because the recipient's immune system recognizes cells within the donated organ as being foreign to the body. Cyclosporine helps prevent this from happening by suppressing the recipient's immune system and its response.

Similarly, this medication is often used in the treatment of graft-versus-host disease. This is a condition where white blood cells from a donor's transplanted bone marrow or stem cells attack cells within a recipient's body. Cyclosporine is also beneficial in many different inflammatory conditions where an immune disorder causes inflammation of the skin, joints, eyes, or other parts of the body. Some of the more common examples are psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, and dry eye syndrome.