Wet and dry lung weight of IL-18/IL-2–treated mice.

(A) B6 mice (n = 7 per group) received control PBS, IL-2 (50 000 IU) alone, IL-18 alone (1 μg), or IL-18 (1 μg) plus IL-2 (50 000 IU) daily for 8 days. Mice were bled and killed, and wet lung, dry lung, and body weight (BW) were measured. Wet (▪) and dry (▨) lung weight and lung wet-dry ratio in IL-18/IL-2–treated mice were significantly (P < .05) higher than that in PBS, IL-2, and IL-18–treated mice. (B) Hydroxyproline content of lungs of IL-18/IL-2–treated mice. B6 mice (n = 5 per group) were daily given control PBS, IL-2 (50 000 IU) alone, IL-18 alone (0.1 μg), or IL-18 (0.1 μg) plus IL-2 (50 000 IU) for 18 days. Then, mice were killed, and hydroxyproline content of lungs was measured. *Significantly (P < .05) higher than those in B6 mice treated with control PBS, IL-2 alone, IL-18 alone, and IL-18/IL-2 (day-9 treatment).