Reversal of ferritin-mediated immunosuppression by levamisole: a rationale for its application to management of the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS).

Ferritin is a complex polypeptide which functions primarily as an iron-storage protein. Ferritin may also play a role in the modulation of immune function. It is known to suppress several global measures of the immune response. Specifically, ferritin may mask and/or down-regulate expression of cell surface molecules important in T-cell activation and effector functions. These interactions may become pathologically significant in conditions where marked hyperferritinemia occurs, most notably malignancies and the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Levamisole appears to possess immunomodulatory properties and be capable of disrupting the interaction of ferritin with T lymphocytes. This activity may be therapeutically useful in conditions of ferritin excess, such as progressive human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and its associated opportunistic complications.