RESEARCH - Interleukin-6 in RA

April 10, 2006

Curr Opin Rheumatol. 2006 May;18(3):277-81.

Interleukin-6 in rheumatoid arthritis.

Nishimoto N.

Laboratory of Immune Regulation, Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences,

Osaka University, Osaka, Japan.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Recent progress in cytokine studies has clarified the

pathological roles played by cytokines and provided key evidence that

antagonizing their actions can be therapeutic. The pathogenesis of

rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune inflammatory disease, involves

inflammatory cytokines such as tumour necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-1

and interleukin-6. Anti-tumour necrosis factor-alpha and anti-interleukin-1

therapies have been used successfully to treat rheumatoid arthritis, but

they are not consistently effective. We therefore need further therapies for

this refractory disease. Interleukin-6 is another target molecule for

blockade in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Tocilizumab is a

humanized antihuman interleukin-6 receptor monoclonal antibody designed to

block the actions of interleukin-6. This review addresses the pathological

significance of interleukin-6 and the current status of anti-interleukin-6

therapy for rheumatoid arthritis. RECENT FINDINGS: The safety and efficacy

of tocilizumab have been demonstrated in clinical trials conducted in

patients with rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune inflammatory

diseases, such as juvenile idiopathic arthritis and Crohn's disease.

SUMMARY: Clinical studies have demonstrated the pathological significance of

interleukin-6 and the safety and efficacy of anti-interleukin-6 therapy with

tocilizumab. Blockade of interleukin-6 - the second generation of

anticytokine therapy - may be a promising treatment for rheumatoid

arthritis.

PMID: 16582692

6582692

Not an MD

I'll tell you where to go!

Mayo Clinic in Rochester

s Hopkins Medicine

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