> Happy New Year! I have been asked to find out if there are some simple
> ways to document generalized improvement in immune system function. The
> scientific validity would improve markedly if, before this particular
> substance was consumed by a test group, certain parameters were measured
> in the blood. Once several baseline values were obtained, monitor
> changes in these parameters over time. Does anyone know of any
> biochemical, hematological or other parameters that could be measured to
> give an indication that the immune system has been improved? Thanks. Dr.
> Roy Johnson/ Functional Food Industry
Roy:
In general, what you are trying to do is encompassed in the discipline
of immunotoxicology, in which the effect of chemicals, drugs, or other
test substances on immunity is assessed. There are a number of general
tests that can be performed on blood samples to get an overview of
immune competence. These include things like mixed lymphocyte
reactions, or B and T-cell responses to mitogens or common childhood
vaccine antigens (against which virtually all people have been
immunized) as well as standard hematological parameters such as
differential counts, complement and immunoiglobulin levels, etc. I
suggest you look for some general references in immunotoxicology for
appropriate experimental designs. You might also visit the website of
CIIT (The Chemical Industry Institute of Toxicology) at
http://www.ciit.org and see if anything there can point you in the right
direction. Good luck
-- Dom Spinella
