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Review
. 2021 May 4;10(5):1104.
doi: 10.3390/cells10051104.

Cytokines Involved in the Pathogenesis of SSc and Problems in the Development of Anti-Cytokine Therapy

Yoshihito Shima  1
Affiliations
Review

Cytokines Involved in the Pathogenesis of SSc and Problems in the Development of Anti-Cytokine Therapy

Yoshihito Shima. Cells. .

Abstract

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a connective tissue disease of unknown etiology. SSc causes damage to the skin and various organs including the lungs, heart, and digestive tract, but the extent of the damage varies from patient to patient. The pathology of SSc includes ischemia, inflammation, and fibrosis, but the degree of progression varies from case to case. Many cytokines have been reported to be involved in the pathogenesis of SSc: interleukin-6 is associated with inflammation and transforming growth factor-β and interleukin-13 are associated with fibrosis. Therapeutic methods to control these cytokines have been proposed; however, which cytokines have a dominant role in SSc might differ depending on the extent of visceral lesions and the stage of disease progression. Therefore, it is necessary to consider the disease state of the patient to be targeted and the type of evaluation method when an anti-cytokine therapy is conducted. Here, we review the pathology of SSc and potential cytokine targets, especially interleukin-6, as well as the use of anti-cytokine therapy for SSc.

Keywords: interleukin-13; interleukin-6; systemic sclerosis; tocilizumab.

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Conflict of interest statement

Y.S. has received medicines from Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. for the clinical trial described in reference number [63], and also received consulting fee from Genentech Inc./F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. at the focuSSced study.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Pleiotropic functions of interleukin-6. It has been reported interluukin-6(IL-6) has various effect [49]. IL-6: interleukin-6, CRP: C-reactive protein, SAA: serum amyloid A, ECM: extracellular matrix.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Schematic explanation about the reports that IL-6 is involved in the pathogenesis of SSc [50,51,52,53,54]. IL-6: interleukin-6, PBMCs: peripheral mononuclear cells.
Figure 3
Figure 3
The hypothesis of cytokine alterations. Cytokines that mainly act on the pathogenesis of SSc may be replaced as the disease progresses. IL-6: interleukin-6, IL-13: interleukin-13, TGF-β: transforming growth factor-β.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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