immunosuppressant

noun

im·​mu·​no·​sup·​pres·​sant ˌi-myə-nō-sə-ˈpre-sᵊnt 

i-ˌmyü-nō-

plural immunosuppressants

: an agent (such as a drug) that suppresses the immune response

The drug was a strong immunosuppressant and was lowering the rats' T-cell counts, making them more vulnerable to infections.

—Chip Brown

… a highly specific immunosuppressant that prevents patients from rejecting transplanted tissue.

—Barry Werth

immunosuppressant adjective

immunosuppressant drugs

Examples of immunosuppressant in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Most people who receive a kidney transplant take immunosuppressants for the rest of their life. —Maria Sole Campinoti, CNN, 2 Dec. 2024

Some of the others still had mild symptoms, but every patient stopped immunosuppressants without disease rebounding. —Byjennifer Couzin-Frankel, science.org, 14 Nov. 2024

Certain Immunosuppressants Grapefruit interacts with certain immunosuppressants—drugs that decrease the intensity of the immune response when the immune system is overactive and doing damage. —Ross Phan, Pharmd, Bcacp, Bcgp, Bcps, Verywell Health, 1 Nov. 2024

Such cell lines would be gene-edited to be matched to patients, to obviate a strong need for immunosuppressants. —Juergen Eckhardt, Forbes, 9 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

immuno- + suppressant, after immunosuppression

First Known Use

1968, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

immunosuppressant

1 of 2 noun

im·​mu·​no·​sup·​pres·​sant -sə-ˈpres-ᵊnt 

: an agent (such as a drug) that suppresses the immune response

The experiments focused on the use of cyclosporine, an immunosuppressant widely used in human kidney, heart-lung, bone marrow, pancreas and liver transplants.

—Science News

immunosuppressant

2 of 2 adjective

: immunosuppressive

immunosuppressant effects