Immunopharmacology and its toxicological problems

Archives of Toxicology. Supplement. = Archiv Fur Toxikologie. Supplement
|January 1, 1980
PubMed

Many pharmacologically active substances (membrane active drugs, antimitotics, hormones, etc.) affect the immune system. According to the dosage of the drugs a continuous gradient from immunotoxic to immunosuppressive and immunostimulatory action can be recorded. The effect of drugs on the immune system can be estimated by testing the: a) natural factors of immunity (by inflammatory reactivity, phagocytosis, serum protein components, quantitative relation between macrophages, T and B lymphocytes in tissues and blood), b) T cell-mediated immunity (TCMI) (as T lymphocyte transformation, cytotoxicity, augmentation and suppressor effects), c) B cell-mediated immunity (BCMI) (immunoglobulin production, antibody formation, polyclonal activation).

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