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Is IL-6 a therapeutic target?

  • Chapter
Cytokines and Joint Injury

Part of the book series: Progress in Inflammation Research ((PIR))

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Abstract

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by persistent synovitis and progressive destruction of cartilage and bone in the multiple joints [1]. The pathological features of the affected joints consist of hyperplasia of inflamed synovium and erosion of cartilage and bone where the pannus tissue invades. There are numerous immunocompetent cells such as T cells, macrophages, dendritic cells and plasma cells infiltrating in the synovium [2]. Many small blood vessels are also observed and thought to be necessary to oxygenate the tissue [3]. In addition to local inflammation of the joints, patients are associated with systemic inflammatory manifestations such as fever, fatigue and anemia, and laboratory findings such as elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP), hyper-γ-globulinemia, and thrombocytosis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Immune Regulation, Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, 1-3 Yamada-oka, Suita-City, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan

    Norihiro Nishimoto & Tadamitsu Kishimoto

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  1. Norihiro Nishimoto
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  2. Tadamitsu Kishimoto
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Rheumatology Research Lab, University Medical Center Nijmegen, 189, Geert Grooteplein 26–28, Nijmegen, 6500 HB, The Netherlands

    Wim B. van den Berg

  2. Hôpital Edouard Herriot Service de Rhumatologie Unité d’Immunologie Clinique, Université Claude Bernard — Lyon 1, Lyon, 69437, France

    Pierre Miossec

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Nishimoto, N., Kishimoto, T. (2004). Is IL-6 a therapeutic target?. In: van den Berg, W.B., Miossec, P. (eds) Cytokines and Joint Injury. Progress in Inflammation Research. Birkhäuser, Basel. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-0348-7883-8_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-0348-7883-8_4

  • Publisher Name: Birkhäuser, Basel

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-0348-9609-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-0348-7883-8

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