IL-6 Revisited: From Rheumatoid Arthritis to CAR T Cell Therapy and COVID-19

Abstract

The diverse biological activity of interleukin-6 (IL-6) contributes to the maintenance of homeostasis. Emergent infection or tissue injury induces rapid production of IL-6 and activates host defense through augmentation of acute-phase proteins and immune responses. However, excessive IL-6 production and uncontrolled IL-6 receptor signaling are critical to pathogenesis. Over the years, therapeutic agents targeting IL-6 signaling, such as tocilizumab, a humanized anti-IL-6 receptor antibody, have shown remarkable efficacy for rheumatoid arthritis, Castleman disease, and juvenile idiopathic arthritis, and their efficacy in other diseases is continually being reported. Emerging evidence has demonstrated the benefit of tocilizumab for several types of acute inflammatory diseases, including cytokine storms induced by chimeric antigen receptor T cell therapy and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Here, we refocus attention on the biology of IL-6 and summarize the distinct pathological roles of IL-6 signaling in several acute and chronic inflammatory diseases.

Keywords: COVID-19; IL-6R; cytokine storms; interleukin-6; rheumatoid arthritis; tocilizumab.