Plasma and tissue interleukin-2 receptor levels in inflammatory bowel disease

Plasma and tissue interleukin-2 receptor (IL-2R) levels were determined in patients with active ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. Compared with healthy controls (median 440 U/ml; range 240-900), significantly higher levels of plasma IL-2R were present in patients with active ulcerative colitis (median 1180 U/ml; range 580-7150; P less than 0.002) and Crohn's disease (median 1340 U/ml; range 480-9000; P less than 0.002). Compared with other laboratory parameters, plasma IL-2R levels were related most closely to clinical score of disease activity in Crohn's disease. Plasma IL-2R levels also reflected the clinical course and may provide a more accurate assessment of disease activity in Crohn's disease. In plasma of patients undergoing intestinal resection of active inflammatory bowel disease, raised levels of IL-2R were present in samples from mesenteric vein (draining inflamed intestine) compared with those from peripheral vein. In tissue homogenates of colonic biopsies, significantly higher levels of IL-2R were present in specimens from colons with active ulcerative colitis compared with healthy controls (median 230.2, range 20.7-581.5 versus 77.9, range 34.2-291.3; P less than 0.02).