Objective To summarize the role of costimulatory molecules in inducing immune tolerance of organ transplantation. Methods Domestic and international publications online involving costimulatory molecules and immune tolerance in recent years were collected and reviewed. Results The relationship between costimulatory pathways and transplantation immunity has already been clarified in recent years. The main costimulatory molecules alreadly found mainly include B7-CD28/CTLA4, CD40-CD154, 4-1BB/4-1BBL, and ICOS-B7h, etc. Costimulatory pathways com-inhibition or combining with other immunosuppression methods could obtain stable and long lasting immune tolerance. Conclusions With the development of immunology and molecular biology, costimulatory pathways of T lymphocyte activation will be further interpreted. Other new costimulatory molecules will be discovered in the future, which will afford theory evidence for inducing immune tolerance.
