The implication of interleukin-2 on the expression of CD56bright, CD56dim, and interferon-γ in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

Background: Interleukin-2 (IL-2) stimulation had been reported as having a beneficial impact to the expression of CD56bright, CD56dim, and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) in the case of immunological dysfunction diseases. However, in the case of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), the role of IL-2 had never been investigated. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of IL-2 on the expression of CD56bright, CD56dim, and IFN-γ in SLE patients. Methods: An experimental study was conducted by involving peripheral blood mononuclear cells isolated from six SLE patients. The study consisted of four groups based on IL-2 stimulation: D0 (0U/ml), D1 (50U/ml), D2 (150U/ml), and D3 (250U/ml); and they were then cultured for 72 hours. The levels of CD56bright and CD56dim were measured by FACSMelodyTM, while the levels of IFN-γ were measured using ELISA. Results: In group D0, D1, D2, and D3; the levels of CD56bright were 57.27±37.27, 241.16±64.41, 256.94±50.95, and 259.37±36.44 x1000 cells/mm3 respectively. Moreover, the levels of CD56dim were 812.85±167.37, 631.98±129.90, 616.42±157.97, and 615.90±155.57 x1000 cells/mm3 respectively. On the other hand, the levels of IFN-γ were 24.01±2.56, 26.09±4.79, 30.11±5.34, and 32.43±7.14 pg/ml respectively. Our analysis elucidated that the administration of IL-2 provided potential impact to the levels of CD56bright, but not to the levels of CD56dim and IFN-γ. Our findings indicated that the increased dosage of IL-2 resulted in a more significant impact on CD56bright. Conclusions: Our study clarifies that IL-2 provides a beneficial impact on CD56bright expression in SLE patients.