ReviewNature immunology2015
IL-6 as a keystone cytokine in health and disease.
Review in Nature immunology, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. It is linked to trial NCT04332913 (Efficacy and Safety of Tocilizumab in the Treatment of Patients With Respiratory Distress Syndrome and Cytokine Release Syndrome Secondary to COVID-19), which is not on this map. Cited by 1,321 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Efficacy and Safety of Tocilizumab in the Treatment of Patients With Respiratory Distress Syndrome and Cytokine Release Syndrome Secondary to COVID-19: a Proof of Concept Study
Who cites it
1,321 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 2,422 citations in OpenAlex.
- A multi-omics approach uncovers causality of IL6R on endotypes of subclinical carotid atherosclerosis and the possible role of the IL6R/OSMR pathway.Cardiovascular research · 2025Pooled it
- Exploring the Immunomodulatory Effects of Fasting-Mimicking Diet in Healthy Individuals: A Pilot Study.Nutrients · 2026Trial
- Trial
- Evaluation of Plasma Biomarkers to Understand the Biology and Heterogeneity of Treatment Effect in Lower Tidal Volume Ventilation Facilitated by Extracorporeal CO2 Removal in Acute Hypoxemic Respiratory Failure: A Secondary Analysis of the REST Trial.Critical care explorations · 2025Trial
- Oral delivery of recombinantDrug delivery · 2026Article
- Assessment of sub-chronic toxicity and anti-aging effects of a solid self-microemulsifying drug delivery system ofPharmaceutical biology · 2026Article
- IL-6/IL-6R-Mediated Mechanisms in Lung Cancer: From Pathogenesis to Potential Therapeutic Targets.Immunology · 2026Review
- Tocilizumab for severe and refractory mucous membrane pemphigoid.Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology : JEADV · 2026Article
- Reverse-Engineered Lipid Nanoparticles Harness Protein Corona Formation for Cytokine Sequestration and Combination Immunomodulatory Therapy.Small (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany) · 2026Article
- Glial cells in neuropathic pain.Physiological reviews · 2026Review
- Beyond Probiotics: Postbiotics for Healthy Aquaculture.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026Review
- Refining therapeutic targeting of interleukin-6 by signalling mode selectivity.Nature reviews. Drug discovery · 2026Review
- Myogenic IL-6 Mediates Myofiber Type Transition in Porcine Skeletal Muscle Satellite Cells via the STAT3/Veterinary sciences · 2026Article
- Cytokine and Inflammasome Gene Polymorphisms in Vitiligo: A Candidate-Polymorphism Meta-Analysis.The Australasian journal of dermatology · 2026Article
- Molecular Editing Reveals a Bilobalide Chemotype that Attenuates Prolyl Endopeptidase (PREP)-Linked Neuroinflammation.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026Article
- Article
- Inflammatory and Genetic Determinants of Functional Status in HFpEF: The Role of Circulating IL-6 andBiomedicines · 2026Article
- Cytokine multimerization: when more is more and sometimes less.Nature reviews. Immunology · 2026Review
- Long-term survival with tocilizumab treatment for tislelizumab-related pneumonitis in a patient with non-small cell lung cancer: A case report.Oncology letters · 2026Article
- hUC-MSCs via β-NGF Alleviate Cognitive Impairment After Tibial Fracture Surgery by Regulating the STMN2/NMNAT2-SARM1-NF-κB Signaling Pathway.CNS neuroscience & therapeutics · 2026Article
1,261 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
2 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Interleukin 6 (IL-6) has a broad effect on cells of the immune system and those not of the immune system and often displays hormone-like characteristics that affect homeostatic processes. IL-6 has context-dependent pro- and anti-inflammatory properties and is now regarded as a prominent target for clinical intervention. However, the signaling cassette that controls the activity of IL-6 is complicated, and distinct intervention strategies can inhibit this pathway. Clinical experience with antagonists of IL-6 has raised new questions about how and when to block this cytokine to improve disease outcome and patient wellbeing. Here we discuss the effect of IL-6 on innate and adaptive immunity and the possible advantages of various antagonists of IL-6 and consider how the immunobiology of IL-6 may inform clinical decisions.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.