The in vitro production of human interleukin 1 alpha (hIL 1 alpha) and interleukin 1 beta (hIL 1 beta) by peripheral blood mononuclear cells was examined by sensitive sandwich enzyme immunoassays which could discriminate hIL 1 alpha and hIL 1 beta without cross-reaction with human IL2. In culture supernatants of mononuclear cells, two components were detected by sandwich enzyme immunoassay for hIL 1 alpha or hIL 1 beta. The molecular weight of one component was shown to be equal to that of recombinant hIL 1 alpha or hIL 1 beta by gel filtration. The elution volume of the other component corresponded to a molecular weight of about 30,000. The sum of the two components for both hIL 1 alpha and hIL 1 beta in culture supernatants of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from healthy subjects increased 1.7 to 38-fold by Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide. The sum of the two components for hIL 1 beta was 13 to 97-fold larger than that for hIL 1 alpha.