Decreased production of interleukin-2 receptors after immunotherapy to house dust.

The magnitude of the T-cell immune response depends on both the amount and the duration of interaction between interleukin 2 (IL-2) and interleukin-2 receptors (IL-2R). In a previous study, we found that IL-2 production was decreased after immunotherapy. In order to delineate further the mechanisms for the decreased lymphoproliferative response after immunotherapy, in vitro production of soluble IL-2R (SIL-2R) was studied in 18 normal children and 21 newly diagnosed and 26 hyposensitized (greater than 2 years) asthmatic children. The results indicate that immunotherapy may modulate the immunobiologic functions of T cells through its effect on IL-2R production, and IL-2R production after allergen challenge may be used to judge the outcome of immunotherapy. However, the implication of such an alteration in the pathogenesis of atopy and the working mechanism of immunotherapy still need further study.