Increased production of interleukin-2 and IL-2 receptor in primary IgA nephropathy

Increased production of interleukin-2 and IL-2 receptor in primary IgA nephropathy. The production of interleukin-2 (IL-2) by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) in 13 patients with IgA nephropathy (IgAN) and 9 patients with chronic glomerulonephritis was investigated. Moreover, the distribution of IL-2 receptor (IL-2R) expression was studied in the purified T cell population versus the non-T cell population of IgAN patients. The results show a spontaneous significant production of IL-2 in cultures of PBMC from patients with IgAN (P < 0.025) that increased after PHA stimulation. IgAN patients also had a significantly higher expression of IL-2R on the surface of PBMC than did patients with chronic glomerulonephritis (P < 0.05). IL-2R was usually detected on unstimulated purified T cells that expressed the activation DR antigen. Moreover, a high number of DR helper T cells was associated to a reduced number of suppressor T cells (OKT8+M1+). These findings suggest that the increased production of IL-2 in patients with IgAN may be responsible for the increased activity of helper T cells. The high number of IL-2R expressed by freshly separated PBMC implies an in vivo continuous stimulation of these cells, and this finding is in agreement with the demonstrated spontaneous hyperproduction of IL-2. Moreover, the low number of suppressor T cells may contribute to the overactivity of helper T cells bearing IL-2R in IgAN patients

SYNOPSIS - RASSEGNA DI IMMUNOFARMACOLOGIA

Synopsis - Rassegna immunofarmacologica costituisce una raccolta aggiornata dei principali lavori riguardanti gli effetti immunomodulanti della Timopentina, pentapeptide sintetico, sito attivo dell'ormone timico Timopoietina. La parte sinottica è preceduta da alcune annotazioni di fisiologia del sistema immunitario che non hanno naturalmente la pretesa di costituire un manuale di Immunologia. Abbiamo comunque ritenuto necessario fornire notizie utili ai non specialisti in materia per migliorare la comprensione del contenuto scientifico dei vari "papers" sull'argomento, riportati in forma condensata. Ci auguriamo che tale opera, abbastanza laboriosa per quanto riguarda la scelta e l'introduzione dei lavori scientifici, possa essere di ausilio ai medici di base e ai ricercatori come memento bibliografico dell'Immunoterapia