Autoantibodies in conventional toxicity testing

A number of drugs and chemicals can induce autoimmune disorders. The use of autoantibody assays in toxicology has been evaluated as a tool to predict and explain autoimmune reactions. Autoantibodies are divided between organ-specific and ubiquitous autoantibodies and several mechanisms have been proposed for their pathogenesis. Assay methods depend on the autoantibody investigated and the specificity of the assay required. There is only a partial correlation between the presence of autoantibodies in humans or animals and the risk of developing an autoimmune disease. Responses in animals vary according to genetic influence and extrapolation to humans is difficult. Therefore, autoantibody assays were not considered absolutely predictive of the potential of a new drug to trigger autoimmune diseases. However assays such as the Coombs test for hemolytic anemia or anti-thyroid antibody assay for thyroiditis, can be useful for explaining the possible mechanisms of autoimmune reactions which occur during toxicology studies.