Imiquimod (IQ)

Imiquimod is a prescription medication that acts as an immune response modifier. It is known that imiquimod signals to the innate arm of the immune system through the toll-like receptor 7 (TLR7), commonly involved in pathogen recognition. Cells activated by imiquimod via TLR-7 secrete cytokines (primarily interferon-α (INF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)). There is evidence that imiquimod, when applied to skin, can lead to the activation of Langerhans cells, which subsequently migrate to local lymph nodes to activate the adaptive immune system. Other cell types activated by imiquimod include natural killer cells, macrophages and B-lymphocytes. New research has shown that imiquimod has anti-proliferative effects in vitro that are independent of immune system activation or function. However, those effects do not apply to skin cancer cells.