Evaluation of Immunomodulatory Effects of Antiepileptic Drug Phenytoin

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.