Regulation of interleukin-2 production in rheumatoid arthritis

The regulation of interleukin-2 (IL-2) production was investigated using mononuclear cells from synovial fluid (SF) and peripheral blood of 12 patients with classical and active rheumatoid arthritis. Decreased phytohemagglutinin (PHA) stimulated IL-2 production by lymphocytes was observed in rheumatoid peripheral blood (5.3 +/- 10.9 units/ml) and SF (3.8 +/- 5.2 units/ml) compared to peripheral blood from 12 normal donors (18.1 +/- 15.4 units/ml) and SF from 5 patients with other rheumatic diseases (11.9 +/- 10.9 units/ml). Indomethacin, phorbol myristate acetate and irradiation of suppressor cells increased IL-2 values in rheumatoid SF and peripheral blood but did not restore normal IL-2 production. IL-2 production did not correlate with clinical activity in patients with RA.