Abstract
Interleukin-6 (IL-6) plays essential roles not only in the immune response, but also in hematopoiesis, and in the central nervous system. Dysregulated production of IL-6 has been found in chronic inflammatory autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Many reports have indicated that lipid levels, such as total cholesterol and triglyceride levels, are changed under inflammatory conditions; this is also observed in RA patients. It is well-established that IL-6 affects lipid metabolism in animals and humans, and it has been reported that blockade of IL-6 decreases lipid levels in RA patients. Based on the above findings, we investigated how IL-6 may change lipid metabolism. We conclude that it is likely that these IL-6-mediated changes in lipid metabolism are at least partly responsible for the lipid profile changes following IL-6 blockade in RA patients.
