Soluble Interleukin‐2 Receptor Levels and Immune Activation in Patients with Schistosomiasis and Carcinoma of the Urinary Bladder

Abstract

Soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R) level in serum is a marker of immune regulation and lymphocyte activation. Highly elevated levels of sIL-2R in serum were observed in patients of schistosomiasis with carcinoma of the bladder (SCB) and carcinoma of the bladder without schistosomiasis (CB) compared with patients with carcinoma of the prostate with or without schistosomiasis and normal healthy controls. Patients with SCB, who had an elevated percentage of cells expressing CD38+ activation antigen and CD71+ transferrin receptors in circulation, also had elevated levels of sIL-2R in serum. There were few interleukin-2 receptor (CD25+) positive cells in circulation in some patients with SCB. Despite this, the sIL-2R levels were extremely elevated. Our data suggest that in SCB, CD38+ and CD71+ cells may be the source of secretion of sIL-2R in serum. This relationship was confirmed by phenotypic characterizations of mononuclear cells and sIL-2R levels in individual patients. Measurements of sIL-2R levels in serum may provide a sensitive method of immune activation in patients with SCB.

T Lymphocytes Infiltrating the Bladder Wall of Patients with Carcinoma of Urinary Bladder Are in vivo Activated

“…The activation of both acces sory cells and T lymphocytes provokes the secretion of different cytokines that regulate the proliferation and acti vation of cytotoxic T lymphocytes and NK cells [24], The activation of helper and cytotoxic T lymphocytes is asso ciated to their progression through the cell cycle with expression of several antigens on the cytoplasmic mem brane. These activation antigens include HLA class II molecules and the alpha chain of the IL-2 receptor [25].…”

Bladder Cancer among Dialysis Patients with Schistosomiasis

“…Some authors studied the genetic susceptibility of Egyptians to develop bladder cancer on top of schistosoma hematobium infection; they found that the disease is especially common in those having HLA-B16 and Cw2 antigens (13). Soluble interleuken-2 receptor (sIL-2R) level in serum, which is a marker of immune regulation and lymphocyte activation, was found to be highly elevated in patients of schistosomiasis with carcinoma of the bladder (14).…”