[Increased levels of serum soluble interleukin 2 receptor (sIL2R) in patients with chronic liver diseases].

sIL2R in the sera of patients with viral liver diseases and primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) were quantified with a solidphase enzyme immunoassay using two monoclonal antibodies against the receptor. As IL2 upregulated sIL2R release in vitro and in vivo, the serum levels of sIL2R might be a useful marker for T cell mediated immune responses. The sIL2R in patients with acute hepatitis, chronic hepatitis (CH) and PBC were significantly higher than those in control subjects. Serum sIL2R in patients with CH and PBC was capable of binding IL2 and did not affect IL2 depended immune responses of blastoid lymphocytes. These results suggest that IL2 production and sIL2R release increase significantly in patients with CH and PBC, and IL2 depended cytotoxic T cells may play a role of pathogenesis of CH and PBC.