Evaluation of immunomodulatory effects of antiepileptic drug phenytoin

Abstract EN

The immunomodulatory effects of phenytoin (PHN), used as an antiepileptic agent were investigated in vivo using female Balb / c mice.

The main aim of this study was to investigate the immunotoxicity of PHN.

Animals were divided into six groups, eight animals per group.

Group I, served as a control group, received only the vehicle.

Groups (II-VI) were received a daily intraperitoneal dose of PHN (2.5, 5, 10, 15 and 25 mg / kg, respectively) over a period of 21 days.

PHN has shown a significant decrease in the animal body weight.

The relative weights of animal's spleens were also decreased significantly at doses of (10, 15, and 25 mg / kg).

PHN showed a significant decrease in the percentage of circulating neutrophils and lymphocytes and an increase in the percentage of circulating eosinophils.

The result showed a marked suppression in antibody production capacity as a humoral immune response and a suppression in the Delayed type hypersensitivity response as a cell mediated immune response in PHN-treated mice compared to the control group.

Detectable changes have also been noticed in the histology of the footpad tissue and spleen.