IMMUNOTOXICOLOGY OF REGIONAL LYMPHOID-TISSUE - THE RESPIRATORY AND GASTROINTESTINAL TRACTS AND SKIN

The area of immunotoxicology has grown significantly over the past dec ade. Most of the research on methods development and validation and me chanisms of action have focused on the systemic immune system (i.e., s pleen, thymus). However, since the regional/mucosal immune system play s an important role in host resistance and is also potentially exposed to significant levels of chemicals, it should also be considered a po tential target. The objective of this symposium was to increase the aw areness and importance of examining the effects of xenobiotics on the regional/mucosal immune response. The speakers presented an overview o f the rapidly growing held of regional immunology with emphasis on the respiratory tract, gut, and skin. The complex intercellular distribut ion and limited number of immune cells within the various regional lym phoid tissue have resulted in the use of a variety of methods to study the immune response of these tissues. These methods and results of st udies which examined the effects and mechanisms of action of chemicals and uv light on the regional immune response were discussed. (C) 1995 society of Toxicology.