HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Google Scholar Articles by Maggio, M. Articles by Ferrucci, L. PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Maggio, M. Articles by Ferrucci, L.

Interleukin-6 in Aging and Chronic Disease: A Magnificent Pathway

¹ Clinical Research Branch, Longitudinal Studies Section, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland.
² Laboratory of Epidemiology, Demography, and Biometry, National Institute on Aging, Bethesda, Maryland.

Address correspondence to Luigi Ferrucci, MD, PhD, National Institute on Aging, NIH, NIA-ASTRA Unit at Harbor Hospital, 3001 S. Hanover Street, Baltimore, MD 21225. E-Mail: ferruccilu{at}grc.nia.nih.gov

The human interleukin IL-6 was originally cloned in 1986. In 1993, William Ershler, in his article "IL-6: A Cytokine for Gerontologists," indicated IL-6 as one of the main signaling pathways modulating the complex relationship between aging and chronic morbidity. Over the last 12 years, our understanding of the role of IL-6 in human physiology and pathology has substantially grown, although some of the questions originally posed by Ershler are still debated. In this review, we will focus on IL-6 structure, IL-6 signaling, and trans signaling pathways, and the role of IL-6 in geriatric syndromes and chronic disease. In the final section of this review, we dissect the critical elements of the IL-6 signaling pathway and point out targets for intervention that are targeted by emerging drugs, some still on the horizon and others already being tested in clinical trials.