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Interleukin-6 (IL-6): A Possible Neuromodulator Induced by Neuronal Activity
Department of Neurology, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
Department of Neurology, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany;Department of Neurology, University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 400, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany; markus.schwaninger{at}med.uniheidelberg.de IL-6 and its receptor(s) are found in the CNS in health and disease. Cellular sources are glial cells and neurons. Glial production of IL-6 has intensively been studied, but comparatively little is known about the induction of IL-6 in neurons. Emerging evidence suggests that IL-6 possesses neurotrophic properties. Recent data show that neuronal IL-6 expression is induced by excitatory amino acids or membrane depolarization. This implicates that IL-6 is produced not only under pathological conditions but may play a critical role as a physiological neuromodulator that is induced by neuronal activity and regulates brain functions. In the following article, the authors review the current data on IL-6 expression in neurons, with special reference to the induction of IL-6 by neuronal activity. They discuss its direct and indirect effects as a neuromodulator and speculate about the possible function of IL-6 as a physiological regulatory molecule and as a neuroprotective agent in brain pathology.
Key Words: Interleukin-6 • Membrane depolarization • Cerebral ischemia • Fever • Depression • Neuroprotection
The Neuroscientist, Vol. 8, No. 3,
268-275 (2002) This article has been cited by other articles:
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