Interleukin-6 as a Potential Therapeutic Target for Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
| Autor: | Yoshiaki Furuya, Toru Satoh, Masataka Kuwana |
|---|---|
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2010 |
| Předmět: | |
| Zdroj: | International Journal of Rheumatology, Vol 2010 (2010) |
| Druh dokumentu: | article |
| ISSN: | 1687-9260 1687-9279 |
| DOI: | 10.1155/2010/720305 |
| Popis: | Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a pleiotropic cytokine with a wide range of biologic activities in immune regulation, hematopoiesis, inflammation, and oncogenesis. Recent accumulating evidence indicates a pathologic role for IL-6 in promoting proliferation of both smooth muscle and endothelial cells in the pulmonary arterioles, resulting in development of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Here, we describe a patient with mixed connective tissue disease and severe, refractory PAH. Her functional activity and hemodynamic parameters dramatically responded to tocilizumab, a humanized monoclonal antibody to human IL-6 receptor, which was aimed at treating multicentric Castleman's disease. It appears that IL-6 blockade may hold promise as an adjunct drug in treatment of PAH in idiopathic form as well as in association with connective tissue disease. |
| Databáze: | Directory of Open Access Journals |
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