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IL-6 blockade in chronic inflammatory diseases

Therapeutische Hemmung von Interleukin 6 bei chronischen Entzündungskrankheiten

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Summary

Proinflammatory cytokines are centrally involved in the pathogenesis of various rheumatic diseases. Interleukin (IL)-6 is a prototypic representative of this family. Basic research has uncovered a multitude of functions for this cytokine, such as immune regulation, hematopoiesis, inflammation, and oncogenesis (Fig. 1). In recent years, agents blocking the actions of IL-6 have been developed for the therapy of rheumatologic inflammatory diseases. While in some diseases, most notably rheumatoid arthritis, the clinical efficacy of these drugs was excellent, the results of clinical trials in other chronic inflammatory diseases were heterogeneous. In this review, we will summarize the data currently available on IL-6 blockade in chronic inflammatory diseases and will also discuss the safety issues of blocking this cytokine.

Zusammenfassung

Proinflammatorische Zytokine sind zentrale Faktoren in der Pathogenese von entzündlich rheumatischen Erkrankungen. Interleukin 6 ist ein prototypisches Beispiel dieser Zytokinfamilie. Interleukin 6 spielt eine wichtige Funktion in der Regulierung des Immunsystems und von Entzündungsreaktionen, der Blutbildung und der Onkogenese. Die Erkenntnisse aus der Grundlagenforschung legten den Grundstein für die Entwicklung von therapeutischen Ansätzen, die dieses Zytokin blockieren. Diese erwiesen sich in einigen Krankheiten, vor allem in der rheumatoiden Arthritis, als sehr effizient, in anderen nicht. In diesem Review werden die derzeit vorhandenen Daten aus diversen klinischen Prüfungen diskutiert und sowohl hinsichtlich Effektivität als auch hinsichtlich Sicherheit zusammengefasst.

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  1. Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine III, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, 1090, Vienna, Austria

    Antonia Puchner MD & Stephan Blüml MD

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Puchner, A., Blüml, S. IL-6 blockade in chronic inflammatory diseases. Wien Med Wochenschr 165, 14–22 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10354-014-0321-x

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