title: Interleukin 6 and rheumatoid arthritis.
abstract: Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a representative cytokine featuring pleiotropic activity and redundancy. A transient synthesis of IL-6 contributes to host defense against infectious agents and tissue injuries by inducing acute phase reactions and immunological and hematopoietic responses. However, uncontrolled persistent production of IL-6 may lead to the development of several immune-mediated diseases. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic disease with joint and systemic inflammation resulting from immunological abnormalities and it has been found that IL-6 plays a key role in the development of this disease. Clinical trials in various parts of the world of tocilizumab, a humanized anti-IL-6 receptor antibody, have proved its efficacy and tolerable safety either as monotherapy or in combination with disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs. As a result, it is currently used as a first-line biologic for the treatment of moderate-to-severe RA in more than 100 countries. Clarification of the mechanism(s) through which tocilizumab exerts its effect on RA and of the reason(s) why IL-6 is continuously produced in RA can be expected to lead to the best use of this agent for RA patients and aid in investigations into the pathogenesis of RA.
authors: Department of Respiratory Medicine, Allergy and Rheumatic Diseases, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
authors: Yuji
authors: Y
authors: Yoshida
authors: Department of Clinical Application of Biologics, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-2 Yamada-oka, Suita City, Osaka 565-0871, Japan ; Department of Immunopathology, WPI Immunology Frontier Research Center, Osaka University, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
authors: Toshio
authors: 0000-0002-0590-2893
authors: T
authors: Tanaka
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018501:Antirheumatic Agents; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid; D002460:Cell Line; D006801:Humans; D015850:Interleukin-6; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D008954:Models, Biological
chemical_list: D018501:Antirheumatic Agents; D015850:Interleukin-6