Assessment of possible immunotoxicity of the antipsychotic drug clozapine.

Objectives: 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.

Key Findings: 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.