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Soluble interleukin 2 receptor in acute viral hepatitis and chronic liver disease
Author(s) -
Müller Christian,
Knoflach Peter,
Zielinski Christoph C.
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
hepatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.488
H-Index - 361
eISSN - 1527-3350
pISSN - 0270-9139
DOI - 10.1002/hep.1840100606
Subject(s) - interleukin 2 , cirrhosis , peripheral blood mononuclear cell , medicine , receptor , primary biliary cirrhosis , liver disease , immunology , viral hepatitis , interleukin , alcoholic liver disease , endocrinology , chronic liver disease , cytokine , biology , in vitro , biochemistry
Serum levels of soluble interleukin 2 receptor were determined in patients with acute viral hepatitis and patients with various chronic liver diseases. In addition, the ability of peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients with alcoholic cirrhosis to generate soluble interleukin 2 receptor following mitogenic stimulation was studied in vitro. Serum soluble interleukin 2 receptor concentrations in all patients with acute viral hepatitis were found to be significantly elevated (1,319 ± 527 units per ml) during the first week after onset of disease, as compared to healthy control individuals (375 ± 102 units per ml; p < 0.0005) and declined toward normal levels during the course of the illness. Similarly, patients suffering from chronic liver disease such as alcoholic liver cirrhosis (1,172 ± 507 units per ml), primary biliary cirrhosis (619 ± 190 units per ml) or chronic active HBsAg+ hepatitis (941 ± 357 units per ml) showed increased serum soluble interleukin 2 receptor concentrations (p < 0.0005 vs. controls, respectively). In vitro mitogen stimulation of peripheral mononuclear cells derived from patients with alcoholic cirrhosis resulted in a soluble interleukin 2 receptor production not different from that seen in healthy individuals, suggesting that elevated soluble interleukin 2 receptor production not different from that seen in healthy individuals, suggesting that elevated soluble interleukin 2 receptor serum levels seen in this disease are not the result of an increased synthesis by circulating lymphocytes. Due to the ability of soluble interleukin 2 receptor to bind free interleukin 2—thus making it a potential immunoregulatory molecule—its high serum levels could explain some of the immunologic abnormalities observed in acute and chronic liver disease.