Assessing immunotoxicity: guidelines.

The article focuses on the guidelines for assessing immunotoxicity. The serum IgM/IgG would be expected to be decreased rather than increased by an immunosuppressive compound. It is rather simplistic to expect that immunotoxicity will lead to suppression of immunoglobulin levels. Effects on isotype switching for instance will result in increased levels of IgM and decreased levels of IgG. Immunotoxic effects on regulatory T cells may result in increased Ig levels. For example, cyclophosphamide, a widely known immunotoxicant, will increase Ig responses at lower concentrations, which affects suppressor cells and decrease Ig responses at higher concentrations.