A study was made on the effect of aging on the production of Interleukin-2 (IL-2) and lymphocyte proliferation of human peripheral blood lymphocytes.
1) In comparison with young individuals, IL-2 production tended to decrease in aged individuals, while lymphocyte proliferation showed a significant decrease.
2) A significant correlation was observed between IL-2 production and lymphocyte proliferation in both the aged and young human populations.
3) IL-2 production showed a negative correlation with Leu-2a positive rate and a positive correlation with Leu-3a/Leu-2a ratio in aged individuals.