RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Adaptive Membrane Fluidity Modulation: A Feedback Regulated Homeostatic System Hiding in Plain Sight JF In Vivo JO In Vivo FD International Institute of Anticancer Research SP 2991 OP 3000 DO 10.21873/invivo.12594 VO 35 IS 6 A1 ELZBIETA IZBICKA A1 ROBERT T. STREEPER YR 2021 UL http://iv.iiarjournals.org/content/35/6/2991.abstract AB The structure of the plasma membrane affects its function. Changes in membrane fluidity with concomitant effects on membrane protein activities and cellular communication often accompany the transition from a healthy to a diseased state. Although deliberate modulation of membrane fluidity with drugs has not been exploited to date, the latest data suggest the “druggability” of the membrane. Azelaic acid esters (azelates) modulate plasma membrane fluidity and exhibit a broad range of immunomodulatory effects in vitro and in vivo. Azelates represent a new class of drugs, membrane active immunomodulators (MAIMs), which use the entire plasma membrane as the target, altering the dynamics of an innate feedback regulated homeostatic system, adaptive membrane fluidity modulation (AMFM). A review of the literature data spanning >200 years supports the notion that molecules in the MAIMs category including known drugs do exert immunomodulatory effects that have been either neglected or dismissed as off-target effects.