Immunity, Vaccines, and Cancer Practice Test

Prednisone and dexamethasone are synthetic glucocorticoids, a type of corticosteroid. They work by binding to glucocorticoid receptors inside cells, which changes which genes are turned on or off. This shifts the balance toward anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive effects, lowering the production of inflammatory cytokines and mediators. They also increase lipocortin-1, which dampens the activity of phospholipase A2 and reduces prostaglandins and leukotrienes. That combination makes them powerful for reducing inflammation and modulating the immune response, which is why they’re used in conditions like asthma, autoimmune diseases, and in certain cancer treatment regimens. The other categories—antibiotics, antifungals, and antivirals—target pathogens directly, not host inflammation or immune suppression, so they don’t describe these drugs.