[The effect of interleukin-2 on interferon production by human lymphocytes and the importance of this test in autoimmune diseases].

Interleukin-2 (IL-2) was demonstrated to induce interferon (IFN) production in the cultured lymphocytes from healthy donors and myasthenia gravis (MG) patients. Moreover, IL-2 enhanced lymphocytic IFN production in patients and healthy individuals in response to phytohemagglutinin and concanavalin A. However, in MG patients, IFN production in response to IL-2 alone or in combination with mitogens is several times lower than that in healthy donors. This lowered IFN production in MG patients is accompanied by much higher rates of lymphocytic proliferation and by considerably enhanced spontaneous lymphocytic production of C-reactive protein as compared with healthy individuals. This test may be of great value in establishing the diagnosis of an autoimmune disease, in defining its severity and in evaluating the efficiency of therapy.