Immunotoxicity of Pharmaceuticals: An Introduction to the Workshop

THE IMMUNE SYSTEM IN man is an important system for the protection against invader(ing) bacteria, viruses, and parasites which cause illnesses of different degrees of seriousness. Disturbances of the immune system may lead to a higher susceptibility to microbial diseases and, often, natural resistance to foreign allograph, cancer, and autoimmunity. Xenobiotics such as certain environmental chemicals and some pharmaceuticals are recognized as disturbing factors. Immunotoxicology, the study of xenobiotics that alter immune function, is a rapid developing field. Thus far, development has focused on environmental chemicals with regard to guidelines and with most of the focus on methods development and validation in animals. In recent years, immunotoxicity in animals has provided sensitive methods for predicting immune dysfunctions in humans induced by xenobiotics.