title: Assessment of possible immunotoxicity of the antipsychotic drug clozapine.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The immunomodulatory effects of clozapine (CLZ), antipsychotic drug, were investigated in vivo using female Balb/c mice. The main aim of this study was to evaluate the immunomodulatory effects of CLZ, antipsychotic drug, following daily intraperitoneal injection to female Balb/c mice over a period of 21 days.
  
  
  METHODS
  Mice were divided into five groups, eight animals per group. Group I, served as a control group, received only the vehicle. Groups II-V received a daily intraperitoneal dose of CLZ (1, 5, 10 and 20 mg/kg, respectively) over a period of 21 days.
  
  
  RESULTS
  CLZ has shown a significant decrease in the animal body weight, and it showed a significant decrease in the percentage of circulating neutrophils and lymphocytes while circulating monocytes were increased. The immunotoxicity has been also assessed by evaluating spleen cellularity, humoral immune response to a foreign antigen using sheep red blood cells and delayed-type hypersensitivity reaction. The results showed a marked suppression in these responses in CLZ-treated mice compared with the control group. Detectable changes have also been noticed in the histology of the footpad tissue and spleen.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Results showed significant immunomodulatory effects of CLZ when used in Balb/c mice.
authors: Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, The Hashemite University, Zarqa, Jordan.
authors: Yaseen
authors: Y
authors: Abdelrahman
authors: Mohammad
authors: M
authors: Fararjeh
authors: Wesam
authors: W
authors: Abdel-Razeq
authors: Mohammad K
authors: MK
authors: Mohammad
authors: Yasser
authors: Y
authors: Bustanji
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000276:immunology; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects*; D003024:Clozapine / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000276:immunology; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D006968:Hypersensitivity, Delayed / Q000209:etiology*; D056724:Immunity, Humoral / Q000187:drug effects; D007155:Immunologic Factors / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000378:metabolism; D012756:Sheep; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D007155:Immunologic Factors; D003024:Clozapine
keywords: Balb/c mice; DTH; clozapine; hemagglutination titre; immunotoxicity