Siegel J P, Rook A H, Djeu J Y, Quinnan G V
Infection. 1985;13 Suppl 2:S219-23. doi: 10.1007/BF01644434.
Clinical trials using interleukin 2 as a therapeutic immunomodulating agent in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome have recently begun. In this article we present data from studies which indicate the ability of interleukin 2 in vitro to augment clinically important cytotoxic immune responses in lymphocytes from these patients. These studies provide both a rationale for the current trials and a model for evaluating the potential for use of interleukin 2 in other infectious diseases. We outline the types of infectious diseases in which interleukin 2 may prove to be useful and the therapeutic strategies in which it may play a role.
