Drug development and immunotoxicity

Immunotoxicity of drugs has to be evaluated same as other kinds of toxicities,since the functions of the immune system are vital to human survival,consisting of the protection of the body from invading pathogens and to provide immune surveillance against arising tumor cells.A given drug‘s effect on the immune system can be classified as (1)immuno-suppression/activation.(2)antigenicity and hypersensitivity,(3)autoimmunity.The guidance of immumotoxicity has highlighted on immuno-suppression in Harmonizing Congress among EC,USA and Japan.In this paper,the strategy and methods to evaluate immunotoxicity,mainly immuno-suppression,of the drugs will be show.complexity and variety of immuno-systems make assessment of immumotoxicity complex.The testing in rats to assess immune function is thought to be the first choice for immunotoxicity evaluation in a drug development,and then other suitable testing should be added depending on the mature of drugs.