The Biological Effects of Interleukin-6 and Their Clinical Applications in Autoimmune Diseases and Cancers

Deng-Ho Yang*

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is one of the pro-infl ammatory cytokines involved in pathogenesis of various  autoimmune and chronic infl ammatory diseases. IL-6 through binding to its cellular receptor can transduce both classical- and trans-signaling pathways. Overproduction of circulating IL-6 can be  detected in patients with different autoimmune diseases. Tocilizumab, a humanized monoclonal antibody against IL-6 receptor, can block IL-6-mediated signaling and has been approved for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and Castleman’s disease. Besides, expression of IL-6 may promote tumorigenesis and has been detected in various tumors, including multiple myeloma, colorectal cancer, breast cancer, lymphoma, breast cancer and lung cancer. Furthermore, increased levels of circulating IL-6 are  associated with poor prognosis and cachexia in cancer patients. Monotherapy with IL-6 blockade or a combination therapy with both IL-6 blockade and conventional chemotherapy may reduce the progression of cancer and improve the status of cachexia in cancer patients. Finally, based upon the known biological effects of IL-6, diseases, other than autoimmune diseases and cancers, potentially to be anti-IL-6 candidates will be briefl y discussed.

Keywords: IL-6; Autoimmunedisease; Cancer; Inflammation

Published on: Mar 2, 2017 Pages: 6-16

Full Text PDF Full Text HTML DOI: 10.17352/raoa.000003
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