[Natural killer (NK) cells and interleukin 2 (IL-2) in Crohn disease].

An analysis was made of spontaneous Natural Killer (NK) activity, the proportion of NK cells and Interleukin 2 (IL-2) production in response to a phytohemagglutinin (PHA) using isolated mononuclear peripheral blood cells from 27 patients with Crohn's disease (CD) and 27 healthy controls. The results obtained showed a decrease in NK activity in comparison with the control group (p less than 0.05), occurring mainly in patients in whom the disease was in an active phase (p less than 0.005), with no apparent relationship to the proportion of NK cells. IL-2 production was, however, similar to that of the healthy controls. A positive correlation between spontaneous NK activity and IL-2 production was evident. The origin of these findings is controversial, suggesting that other factors with a negative modulating effect may inhibit NK function.