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Review
. 2022 Nov 23:13:1033674.
doi: 10.3389/fphar.2022.1033674. eCollection 2022.

The role of IL-6 in coronavirus, especially in COVID-19

Xinyi Wang  1 , Guozheng Tang  2 , Yuchen Liu  3 , Lizhi Zhang  4 , Bangjie Chen  5 , Yanxun Han  3 , Ziyue Fu  6 , Liuning Wang  4 , Guangzhi Hu  4 , Qing Ma  4 , Shuyan Sheng  4 , Jianpeng Wang  4 , Xinyang Hu  4 , Song Shao  2
Affiliations
Review

The role of IL-6 in coronavirus, especially in COVID-19

Xinyi Wang et al. Front Pharmacol. .

Abstract

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infects both people and animals and may cause significant respiratory problems, including lung illness: Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Swabs taken from the throat and nose of people who have the illness or are suspected of having it have shown this pathogenic virus. When SARS-CoV-2 infects the upper and lower respiratory tracts, it may induce moderate to severe respiratory symptoms, as well as the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines including interleukin 6 (IL-6). COVID-19-induced reduction of IL-6 in an inflammatory state may have a hitherto undiscovered therapeutic impact. Many inflammatory disorders, including viral infections, has been found to be regulated by IL-6. In individuals with COVID-19, one of the primary inflammatory agents that causes inflammatory storm is IL-6. It promotes the inflammatory response of virus infection, including the virus infection caused by SARS-CoV-2, and provides a new diagnostic and therapeutic strategy. In this review article, we highlighted the functions of IL-6 in the coronavirus, especially in COVID-19, showing that IL-6 activation plays an important function in the progression of coronavirus and is a rational therapeutic goal for inflammation aimed at coronavirus.

Keywords: COVID-19; IL-6; MERS; SARS; coronavirus.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Comparison of IL-6 and other cytokines in healthy individual and SARS-CoV-2 infected people.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Changes of various immune cells and related substances in alveolus after SARS-CoV-2 invasion.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Macro and micro aspects of SARS-CoV-2 invading respiratory system.
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
Schematic diagram of SARS-CoV-2 structure.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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