Current Science

The PDF file you selected should load here if your Web browser has a PDF reader plug-in installed (for example, a recent version of Adobe Acrobat Reader).

If you would like more information about how to print, save, and work with PDFs, Highwire Press provides a helpful Frequently Asked Questions about PDFs.

Alternatively, you can download the PDF file directly to your computer, from where it can be opened using a PDF reader. To download the PDF, click the Download link above.

Fullscreen Fullscreen Off


Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is an important cytokine that plays a vital role in immune response and inflamma-tion. Here, the signalling functions of IL-6 through its receptors, physiological and pathological roles, espe-cially its contribution to various autoimmune diseases, cancers and severe COVID-19/SARS-CoV2 infections are described. It is reported that in severe COVID-19 infection and auto-immune diseases, the patients expe-rience cytokine storms due to hyper-activation of the IL-6 receptor pathway leading to detrimental effects. Blocking IL-6 receptor action by therapeutic antibodies has been considered an attractive strategy of treat-ment. The latest findings on the application of anti-IL-6 therapeutic antibodies in COVID-19 patients are also discussed.



Keywords

COVID-19 infection, cytokine storm, im-mune response, interleukin-6, therapeutic antibodies.
User
Notifications
Font Size