IL 6 pathway in the liver: From physiopathology to therapy.
Interleukin 6 (IL 6) is a pleiotropic four helix bundle cytokine that exerts multiple functions in the body. In the liver, IL 6 is an important inducer of the acute phase response and infection defense. IL 6 is furthermore crucial for hepatocyte homeostasis and is a potent hepatocyte mitogen. It is not only implicated in liver regeneration, but also in metabolic function of the liver. However, persistent activation of the IL 6 signaling pathway is detrimental to the liver and might ultimately result in the development of liver tumors. On target cells IL 6 can bind to the signal transducing subunit gp130 either in complex with the membrane bound or with the soluble IL 6 receptor to induce intracellular signaling. In this review we describe how these different pathways are involved in the physiology and pathophyiology of the liver. We furthermore discuss how IL 6 pathways can be selectively inhibited and therapeutically exploited for the treatment of liver pathologies.
Journal of hepatology