Il-6 in inflammation, Immunity, And disease

Abstract

Interleukin 6 (IL-6), promptly and transiently produced in response to infections and tissue injuries, contributes to host defense through the stimulation of acute phase responses, he-matopoiesis, and immune reactions. Although its expression is strictly controlled by tran-scriptional and posttranscriptional mechanisms, dysregulated continual synthesis of IL-6 plays a pathological effect on chronic inflammation and autoimmunity. For this reason, tocilizumab, a humanized anti-IL-6 receptor antibody was developed. Various clinical trials have since shown the exceptional efficacy of tocilizumab, which resultedinits approval for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Moreover, tocili-zumab is expected to be effective for other intractable immune-mediated diseases. In this context, the mechanism for the continual synthesis of IL-6 needs to be elucidated to facilitate the developmentof more specific therapeutic approaches and analysis of the pathogenesis of specific diseases.