Furthermore, the CCL1 levels in the BALF were correlated with the total cell count (ρ = 0.539, p < 0.001), lymphocyte fraction (R = 0.406, P < 0.05), lymphocyte count (R = 0.686, P < 0.001), TNF-α level, (R = 0.748, P < 0.001), and IL-2 level (R = 0.757, P < 0.001) in the BALF of sarcoidosis patients.
Serum soluble interleukin-2 receptor level is more sensitive than angiotensin-converting enzyme or lysozyme for diagnosis of sarcoidosis and may be a marker of multiple organ involvement.
However these results support the contention that M. tuberculosis may play a pathogenetic role at least in the part of sarcoidosis patients with elevated interleukin-2 receptor values.
In addition, these data implicate an elevated expression of interleukin-2, -10 and -12 and interferon-gamma in active compared to nonactive sarcoidosis.
Cytokines released by T lymphocytes activated in the course of sarcoidosis, e.g., interleukin-2 (IL-2) and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), indicate the presence of Th1 cells leading to the question of Th1/Th0/Th2 balance in sarcoidosis.
In this regard, sarcoidosis represents a "model" human disorder to test in vivo the known in vitro action of corticosteroids on suppressing the activated IL 2 gene.
Although the cause of sarcoid is unknown, these observations are consistent with the concept that sarcoid is associated with local stimuli at the site of disease eliciting the Leu-3+ T cell IL 2 gene activation that plays such a critical role in the pathogenesis of this disease.