ReviewNature reviews. Rheumatology2017
The role of IL-6 in host defence against infections: immunobiology and clinical implications.
Review in Nature reviews. Rheumatology, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 239 papers, 5 of them syntheses 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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
239 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 415 citations in OpenAlex.
- The intensity of exercise and inflammation markers in women with overweight & obesity: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.International journal of obesity (2005) · 2025Pooled it
- Effects of Schistosoma haematobium infection and treatment on the systemic and mucosal immune phenotype, gene expression and microbiome: A systematic review.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2024Pooled it
- Acyclovir Combined with Naloxone in the Treatment of Viral Encephalitis: A Meta-Analysis.Journal of healthcare engineering · 2022Pooled it
- IL-6 inhibition in the treatment of COVID-19: A meta-analysis and meta-regression.The Journal of infection · 2021Pooled it
- Risk of Reactivation of Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) and Tuberculosis (TB) and Complications of Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) Following Tocilizumab Therapy: A Systematic Review to Inform Risk Assessment in the COVID-19 Era.Frontiers in medicine · 2021Pooled it
- Trial
- A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of intravenous alpha-1 antitrypsin for ARDS secondary to COVID-19.Med (New York, N.Y.) · 2022Trial
- Effect of tocilizumab on clinical outcomes at 15 days in patients with severe or critical coronavirus disease 2019: randomised controlled trial.BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2021Trial
- Lactoferrin blocks orthopoxvirus entry via heparan sulphate and regulates host antiviral pathways.Emerging microbes & infections · 2026Article
- Refining therapeutic targeting of interleukin-6 by signalling mode selectivity.Nature reviews. Drug discovery · 2026Review
- Bioengineered Extracellular Vesicles Mitigate Neuroinflammation by Neutralizing Pneumolysin and Delaying Disease Onset in Experimental Pneumococcal Meningitis.Journal of extracellular vesicles · 2026Article
- Herpes simplex virus type 1 interferes with signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 expression in infected mature dendritic cells.The Journal of general virology · 2026Article
- Pharmacogenetic Risk Factors for Thiopurine-Induced Leukopenia in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease.Yonsei medical journal · 2026Article
- Article
- Functional Analysis of IL-6 Genetic Variants and Their Potential Role in Lipid Homeostasis and Inflammatory Regulation in Colombian Athletes.Current issues in molecular biology · 2026Article
- VPS33B regulates MHC class II antigen presentation in dendritic cells to drive CD4 T cell immunity.iScience · 2026Article
- Infectious Risks Associated with Biologic Therapies in Autoimmune, Rheumatologic and Dermatologic Diseases: A Narrative Review.Microorganisms · 2026Review
- Selenium-enriched strawberry-sea buckthorn-yam juice fermented byFood chemistry: X · 2026Article
- Glycan-based biological degraders targeting the cytokine immune axis.Communications biology · 2026Article
- Ostreae Testa enhances anti-tumor immunity by activating T cells via antigen-presenting cell stimulation.Cell communication and signaling : CCS · 2026Article
179 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
IL-6 is a pleiotropic cytokine with broad-ranging effects within the integrated immune response. One of the roles of IL-6 is to support immunocompetence, defined as the ability of a host to respond to infections. Understanding the precise role of this cytokine in immunocompetence requires a critical appraisal of data derived from both preclinical and clinical studies. Primary immunodeficiency diseases involving IL-6 or its signalling pathways reveal that IL-6 is critical in the defence against numerous types of pathogens. Studies of IL-6 signalling in preclinical models reveal that selective inhibition of either classic IL-6 signalling or IL-6 trans-signalling has differential effects on the host response to different types of infections. Knowledge of such variation might inform bioengineering of new IL-6-targeting molecules and potentially enable modulation of their toxicity. Clinical studies of IL-6 inhibitors, mainly tocilizumab, reveal that their use is associated with an increased rate of both serious and opportunistic infections generally in the range observed with other non-IL-6 directed biologic therapies. Targeting IL-6 has several other important clinical implications related to diagnosis, management and prevention of infectious diseases.
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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.