1Pediatrics and ²Clinical Pathology Departments, Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, Egypt.

To study the profile of interleukin 2 (IL-2) and soluble interleukin 2 receptor (sIL-2R) in serum and urine of children with acute poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis (APSGN), this work was conducted on 20 children with APSGN, including 13 children following throat and 7 cases following skin infection. Ten healthy age and sex matched children were chosen as control. Estimation of IL-2 and its soluble receptors in serum and urine was carried out using ELISA. Our results in patients with APSGN revealed: (a) significant increase in serum IL-2 (P=0.005) as compared to healthy controls; (b) significant increase in urinary IL-2 (P=0.048) and sIL-2R (P=0.003); (c) significant positive correlation between serum IL-2 and urinary IL-2 (P=0.023); and (d) significant positive correlation between serum sIL-2R and Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR) second hour; and between urinary sIL-2R and ESR first hour. In conclusion, urinary IL-2 and sIL-2R can reflect serum IL-2 and sIL-2R, particularly, in presence of normal glomerular filtration rate. Also, high levels of IL-2 and sIL-2R can be used as markers for measuring activity and for cellular immunity which is involved the pathogenesis of APSGN.