ReviewEuropean journal of pharmacology2021
COVID-19 and IL-6: Why vitamin D (probably) helps but tocilizumab might not.
Review in European journal of pharmacology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers.
What it found
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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
14 citing papers in PubMed, 22 citations in OpenAlex.
- The interplay between vitamin D status and exerkine signaling: implications for exercise adaptation in athletes: narrative review.Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · 2026Review
- Targeting innate immunity to modulate bone metabolism: a novel strategy for osteoporosis treatment.Frontiers in aging · 2026Review
- Association of Vitamin D Supplementation with Glutathione Peroxidase (GPx) Activity, Interleukine-6 (IL-6) Levels, and Anxiety and Depression Scores in Patients with Post-COVID-19 Condition.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Article
- Muscle Traits, Sarcopenia, and Sarcopenic Obesity: A Vitamin D Mendelian Randomization Study.Nutrients · 2023Article
- The Role of Microbiota-Derived Vitamins in Immune Homeostasis and Enhancing Cancer Immunotherapy.Cancers · 2023Review
- Vitamin D-A prominent immunomodulator to prevent COVID-19 infection.International journal of rheumatic diseases · 2023Review
- Dietary supplements for the management of COVID-19 symptoms.Journal of preventive medicine and hygiene · 2022Review
- Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory roles of vitamins in COVID-19 therapy.European journal of medicinal chemistry · 2022Review
- Potential role of vitamin D in patients with diabetes, dyslipidaemia, and COVID-19.World journal of critical care medicine · 2022Article
- Cholecalciferol level and its impact on COVID-19 patients.The Egyptian journal of internal medicine · 2022Article
- Vitamin D and COVID-19: An Overview of Recent Evidence.International journal of molecular sciences · 2021Review
- Hyperlipidemia and Obesity's Role in Immune Dysregulation Underlying the Severity of COVID-19 Infection.Clinics and practice · 2021Article
- Vitamin D and COVID-19 severity and related mortality: a prospective study in Italy.BMC infectious diseases · 2021Article
- Effects of Vitamin D and K on Interleukin-6 in COVID-19.Frontiers in nutrition · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
1 author at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Interleukin 6 (IL-6), which is involved in the cytokine storm phenomenon, is a therapeutic target in COVID-19, but monoclonal receptor antibody therapeutic agents such as tocilizumab have demonstrated mixed results. Could Vitamin D, which modulates IL-6, be more effective than currently deployed IL-6 antagonists, including tocilizumab, thereby presenting a useful therapeutic option in COVID-19? A narrative review of published trials examining the effect of Vitamin D administration in COVID-19 patients was conducted, and the theoretical basis for the use of tocilizumab as an IL-6 antagonist was compared with the immunomodulatory effect of Vitamin D on IL-6 production. Four of the six included studies reported a positive effect of Vitamin D on outcomes. While tocilizumab non-selectively blocks both anti-inflammatory and pro-inflammatory actions of IL-6, Vitamin D lowers immune cell IL-6 production, potentially reducing pro-inflammatory effects, but does not specifically target IL-6 receptors, avoiding any deleterious effect on the anti-inflammatory actions of IL-6. Vitamin D may have advantages over tocilizumab as an IL-6 immunomodulator, and, given that it is safe if administered under clinical supervision, there is a strong rationale for its use.
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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.