ArticleBiophysics reports2021
What do we know about IL-6 in COVID-19 so far?
Article in Biophysics reports, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 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
3 citing papers in PubMed, 3 citations in OpenAlex.
- Respiratory Organ-on-a-Chip for Disease Modeling: From Architecture to Functional Integration.Advanced healthcare materials · 2026Review
- Interleukins in COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2 Variants: Immunopathogenesis, Therapeutic Perspectives and Vaccine-Induced Immune Responses.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Monomeric C-reactive protein is associated with severity and prognosis of decompensated hepatitis B cirrhosis.Frontiers in immunology · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Interleukin 6 (IL-6) is a cytokine with dual functions of pro-inflammation and anti-inflammation. It is mainly produced by mononuclear macrophages, Th2 cells, vascular endothelial cells and fibroblasts. IL-6 binds to glycoprotein 130 and one of these two receptors, membrane-bound IL-6R or soluble IL-6R, forming hexamer (IL-6/IL-6R/gp130), which then activates different signaling pathways (classical pathway, trans-signaling pathway) to exert dual immune-modulatory effects of anti-inflammation or pro-inflammation. Abnormal levels of IL-6 can cause multiple pathological reactions, including cytokine storm. Related clinical studies have found that IL-6 levels in severe COVID-19 patients were much higher than in healthy population. A large number of studies have shown that IL-6 can trigger a downstream cytokine storm in patients with COVID-19, resulting in lung damages, aggravating clinical symptoms and developing excessive inflammation and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Monoclonal antibodies against IL-6 or IL-6R, such as tocilizumab, sarilumab, siltuximab and olokizumab may serve as therapeutic options for COVID-19 infection.
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.