IL6 Family

IL 6 family is a group of pro-inflammatory cytokines involved in cellular and humoral immunity. It is one of the cytokines involved in the nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kB) pathway. NF kB is a transcription factor which controls the expression of several cytokines with pro-inflammatory, pro-angiogenic and immune-regulatory functions. These cytokines include TNFα, IL 1α, IL 6 and IL 8. These cytokines are thought to be involved in the pathogenesis of several chronic inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, Sjögren’s syndrome, asthma, ulcerative colitis and OLP.

IL 6 is produced by the activated T cells, B cells, monocytes, endothelial cells, macrophages and keratinocytes. IL 6 mediates different physiological functions such as differentiation of lymphocytes, cell proliferation and cell survival. In recent years, IL 6 has also been implicated in tumor progression and in predicting the recurrence and survival among head and neck cancer patients.