Interleukin 6 receptor (IL-6R), mediating IL-6's biological functions, plays an important role in different diseases such as diabetes, obesity and cardio-vascular diseases.
Data are emerging from animal and human studies indicating a critical role for IL-6 in mediation of cell-mediated rejection, antibody-mediated rejection, and chronic allograft vasculopathy.
Polymorphism at position -174 within the promoter region of the IL-6 gene may be an important risk factor for cardiac transplant related coronary vasculopathy.
We have demonstrated that microvessel endothelium of the fetal placental vasculature produces both the proinflammatory cytokines (interleukin-6 and interleukin-8) and members of SOCS family (SOCS2 and SOCS3) in umbilical placental vascular disease.
Endothelial cell expression of interleukin-6 messenger RNA (1.94 +/- 0.24 vs 1.31 +/- 0.16) and interleukin-8 messenger RNA (2.62 +/- 0.33 vs 1.64 +/- 0.22) were enhanced in response to incubation with fetal plasma from placental vascular disease in comparison to incubation with fetal plasma from normal pregnancy.
In the microcirculation of the placenta, endothelial cell expression of interleukin-6 messenger RNA (2.50+/-0.60 vs 1.25+/-0.26) and interleukin-8 messenger RNA (2.83+/-0.55 vs 1.58+/-0.27) was up-regulated in umbilical placental vascular disease in comparison to normal pregnancy.