title: Recombinant interleukin-2 (rIL-2) improves immune response and host resistance to septic challenge in thermally injured mice.
abstract: Impaired immune competence leading to decreased resistance to sepsis is a major cause of death in burn patients. We have previously shown that increased mortality from a septic challenge correlated with impaired splenocyte interleukin-2 (IL-2) production and response to T cell mitogens in mice subjected to a 25% surface area scald burn. We report now that the addition of recombinant (r) IL-2 (100 U/ml) in vitro to splenocytes from burned animals restored mitogen responses to normal. Burned mice intraperitoneally received 16,000 U of rIL-2 (selected on the basis of dose-response experiments) once daily in 0.5 ml 5% dextrose (5% D) on days 1 through 6 after thermal injury and were compared with burned mice treated with only 5% D. Both groups were subjected to cecal ligation and puncture 10 days after burn; 4 days later, there were no survivors in the 5% D group, whereas 45% of the rIL-2 group remained alive (p = 0.001; Gehan statistic). We found that rIL-2 treatment at the dose selected resulted in no apparent toxicity in burned mice. Finally, splenocytes from rIL-2-treated burned mice showed improved responses to T cell mitogens in vitro compared with 5% D-treated controls. We conclude that rIL-2 therapy may have a role in the restoration of immune competence after thermal injury.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115.
authors.forename: D B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Gough
authors.forename: N M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Moss
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jordan
authors.forename: J T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Grbic
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Rodrick
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Mannick
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002056:Burns / Q000276:immunology*; D007111:Immunity, Cellular / Q000187:drug effects*; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008805:Mice, Inbred A; D010538:Peritonitis / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy*; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D007376:Interleukin-2; D011994:Recombinant Proteins