Waldner Maximilian J, Neurath Markus F
Department of Medicine 1, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany.
Department of Medicine 1, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany.
Semin Immunol. 2014 Feb;26(1):75-9. doi: 10.1016/j.smim.2013.12.003. Epub 2014 Jan 18.
IL-6 signaling is of central importance for the maintenance of chronic intestinal inflammation in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. IL-6 regulates T cell differentiation, activation and resistance against apoptosis and thereby controls the balance between pro-inflammatory T cell subsets such as Th1 or Th17 cells and immunosuppressive regulatory T cells. Furthermore, IL-6 has been implicated in the pathogenesis of colorectal cancer (CRC). In fact, IL-6 directly promotes tumor cell proliferation and survival through STAT3 activation. Due to its role in both types of diseases, IL-6 has been proposed as a missing link between inflammation and tumor development. During recent years, several therapeutics targeting IL-6 dependent pathways have been developed. Although clinical data about anti-IL-6 treatment in intestinal diseases are currently scarce, targeting this pathway might be a promising strategy in IBD and CRC.
白细胞介素-6（IL-6）信号传导对于维持诸如克罗恩病和溃疡性结肠炎等炎症性肠病（IBD）中的慢性肠道炎症至关重要。IL-6调节T细胞分化、激活及抗凋亡能力，从而控制促炎性T细胞亚群（如Th1或Th17细胞）与免疫抑制性调节性T细胞之间的平衡。此外，IL-6与结直肠癌（CRC）的发病机制有关。事实上，IL-6通过激活信号转导和转录激活因子3（STAT3）直接促进肿瘤细胞增殖和存活。由于其在这两种疾病中的作用，IL-6被认为是炎症与肿瘤发展之间的缺失环节。近年来，已经开发出几种靶向IL-6依赖性途径的治疗方法。尽管目前关于肠道疾病抗IL-6治疗的临床数据稀缺，但针对该途径可能是IBD和CRC中有前景的策略。
