Abstract
Interleukin-2 is a cytokine which can stimulate and maintain the proliferation of T lymphocytes in tissue culture. This substance can stimulate the immune responsiveness of certain populations of T lymphocytes, such as cytotoxic T cells and natural killer cells. It is currently being explored as a therapeutic modality in manipulating defects in the immune system, i.e. in specifc primary immunodeficiency syndromes in which the defect may be an inability to produce interleukin-2. It is also being investigated as a therapeutic modality in AIDS, attempting to reconstitute the immunologic abnormalities in this syndrome. Finally, interleukin-2 is being actively investigated as a stimulator and potentiator of killer lymphocytes that have cytotoxic activity against tumor cells, and is being administered to humans with cancer, in attempts to potentiate host immunity against tumors. Very promising results have been obtained and this is an exciting area of ongoing clinical investigation.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1-9 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Einstein Quarterly Journal of Biology and Medicine |
| Volume | 5 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| State | Published - 1987 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Medicine
