Immunotoxins toxicity studies

Indirect Immunotoxic Effects. A problem related to data interpretation is how to distinguish secondary effects that may indirectly result in immunotoxicity from the primary effects of immunotoxicity in preclinical toxicity studies. Various factors may produce pathology similar to that of an immunotoxin ... 

Toxins as effector molecules have been widely studied in vitro and applied in vivo in pre-clin-ical and clinical studies. A frequent observation with immunotoxins in the clinic is the occurrence of vascular leak syndrome. This toxicity is associated with the toxin moiety of the im-munotoxin and sometimes demands cessation of therapy or administration of snb-optimal dosages [92]. Another approach with high potential is to selectively inhibit tnmonr blood flow by selectively targeting the blood coagnlation-mdndng activity of the tnmonr endothelium. 

Unfortunately, studies completed so far show that the present generation of immunotoxins lack specificity and are also immunogenic a major fraction still ends up in the liver and causes toxicity, and severe side-... 

Gould BJ, Borowitz MJ, Groves ES, Carter PW, Anthony D, Weiner LM, Frankel AE. Phase I study of an anti-breast cancer immunotoxin by continuous infusion report of a targeted toxic effect not predicted by animal studies. J Natl Cancer Inst 1989 81 775-81. 

The study of immunotoxic mixtures is complicated by the large number and diversity of chemicals agents that are toxic to the immune system, multiple mechanisms by which the immune system is impacted, and exposures that are almost always to mixtures containing numerous immunotoxins. 

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