title: Interleukin 2 production and responsiveness in active and inactive rheumatoid arthritis.
abstract: The interleukin 2 (IL-2) production and responsiveness of peripheral blood lymphocytes from patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with active or inactive disease was compared with that of normal control donors. IL-2 production was assessed using a cellular interleukin assay in which an IL-2 dependent cell line was cocultured with varying numbers of irradiated IL-2 producing lymphocytes from the different donor sources. Cells from patients with active disease showed a significantly different pattern of IL-2 production from that of control or inactive RA patients in that a lower number of cells supported growth of the IL-2 dependent cell line. In one patient this shift in pattern was shown to correlate with change in disease activity. Lymphocyte responsiveness to IL-2 as determined by limiting dilution analysis did not differ significantly between the different groups. The results are consistent with a hyperproduction of IL-2 in RA during active disease.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D002999:Clone Cells; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000494:pharmacology; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010641:Phenotype
chemical_list: D007376:Interleukin-2