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Variations in serum soluble IL-2 receptor concentration
A C Jones1, C R Besley, J A Warner
1University Child Health, Southampton General Hospital, Hampshire, England.
Insights
Children exhibit higher soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R) levels than adults, with concentrations decreasing significantly with age in pediatric populations. Diurnal variation in sIL-2R was also observed in adults.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Pediatric Health
- Biomarker Research
Background:
- Soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R) is a marker of immune system activation.
- Understanding normal sIL-2R levels is crucial for interpreting clinical data.
- Factors influencing sIL-2R concentrations, such as age and time of day, require investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish reference ranges for sIL-2R in healthy children and adults.
- To investigate the relationship between age and sIL-2R levels in pediatric populations.
- To compare the performance of two commercially available ELISA kits for sIL-2R measurement.
Main Methods:
- Serum samples from healthy adults, children (5 months - 16 years 8 months), and cord blood were analyzed.
- Two ELISA kits (T-cell Sciences and Serotec) were used for sIL-2R quantification.
- Statistical analyses were performed to assess age-related differences, correlations, and diurnal variations.
Main Results:
- Children demonstrated significantly higher sIL-2R concentrations compared to adults.
- A significant negative correlation was found between age and sIL-2R levels in children.
- Both ELISA kits provided reproducible results, with the T-cell Sciences kit offering a wider working range.
Conclusions:
- Pediatric sIL-2R levels are notably higher than adult levels and decrease with age.
- Diurnal variation in sIL-2R was observed in adults, highlighting the importance of standardized sampling times.
- These findings underscore the necessity of age-specific reference ranges and careful consideration of influencing factors in immune function studies.
Abstract:
Soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R) concentrations were measured in the sera of 18 healthy adult volunteers, 40 healthy children aged 5 months -16 years 8 months and cord blood from 10 babies, using two commercially available ELISA kits (T-cell Sciences and Serotec). In the presence of normal C-reactive protein (CRP) children (aged 0-16 years 8 months) had significantly higher sIL-2R concentrations than adults aged (18-37 years). In children up to the age of 16 years there was a significant negative correlation between age and sIL-2R (r = -0.725 p < 0.0001 T-Cell Sciences, r = -0.646 p < 0.0001 Serotec). A comparison was also made between the two kits, which indicated that both kits yielded reproducible results but the T-Cell Sciences kit had a larger working concentration range than the Serotec kit. Following 12-h sampling in adult volunteers, a lower concentration of sIL-2R was observed at 4 am compared with 10 am (p = 0.0052) which indicates diurnal variation. These observations emphasize the importance of the study of normals as part of any research, and raises further questions regarding the many factors which influence immune function.