Pal Martin, Febbraio Mark A, Whitham Martin
Cellular and Molecular Metabolism Laboratory, Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Research Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Immunol Cell Biol. 2014 Apr;92(4):331-9. doi: 10.1038/icb.2014.16. Epub 2014 Mar 11.
The lack of physical activity and overnutrition in our modern lifestyle culminates in what we now experience as the current obesity and diabetes pandemic. Medical research performed over the past 20 years identified chronic low-grade inflammation as a mediator of these metabolic disorders. Hence, finding therapeutic strategies against this underlying inflammation and identifying molecules implicated in this process is of significant importance. Following the observation of an increased plasma concentration of interleukin-6 (IL-6) in obese patients, this protein, known predominantly as a pro-inflammatory cytokine, came into focus. In an attempt to clarify its importance, several studies implicated IL-6 as a co-inducer of the development of obesity-associated insulin resistance, which precedes the development of type 2 diabetes. However, the identification of IL-6 as a myokine, a protein produced and secreted by skeletal muscle to fulfil paracrine or endocrine roles in the insulin-sensitizing effects following exercise, provides a contrasting and hence paradoxical identity of this protein in the context of metabolism. We review here the literature considering the complex, pleiotropic role of IL-6 in the context of metabolism in health and disease.
现代生活方式中身体活动的缺乏和营养过剩，最终导致了我们现在所经历的肥胖和糖尿病大流行。过去20年进行的医学研究确定慢性低度炎症是这些代谢紊乱的介质。因此，找到针对这种潜在炎症的治疗策略并确定参与这一过程的分子具有重要意义。在观察到肥胖患者血浆白细胞介素-6（IL-6）浓度升高后，这种主要作为促炎细胞因子为人所知的蛋白质成为了焦点。为了阐明其重要性，多项研究表明IL-6是肥胖相关胰岛素抵抗发展的共同诱导因子，而胰岛素抵抗先于2型糖尿病的发生。然而，IL-6被鉴定为一种肌动蛋白，即一种由骨骼肌产生和分泌的蛋白质，在运动后的胰岛素增敏作用中发挥旁分泌或内分泌作用，这在代谢背景下赋予了这种蛋白质一种矛盾的身份。我们在此回顾相关文献，探讨IL-6在健康和疾病代谢背景下的复杂、多效性作用。
