Abstract
The effects of a recombinant interleukin-2 (rIL-2) on active hepatitis due to low virulence mouse hepatitis virus, MHV-2-CC, in athymic nude mice, were studied. Athymic nude mice were inoculated intraperitoneally with 6×105 PFU of the virus and given daily with 0.1, 1 and 10μg of rIL-2. The nude mice treated with 1μg of rIL-2 showed virus titers 1 log lower than those of untreated mice, through Days 7 to 21 of postinoculation. Liver lesions in mice treated with 1 or 10μg of rIL-2 were characterized by multiple round and circumscribed necrotizing foci without inflammatory cells, whereas inflammatory reactions were noticeable in necrotizing lesions of non-treated controls. At the periphery of the lesions of rIL-2 treated mice there were many degenerated hepatocytes being positive for viral antigen surrounded by mononuclear cells, some of which were positive with asialo-GM1.
