What is Interleukin-6?
Interleukin-6 is a substance produced in response to injury or trauma of tissue by specialized white blood cells called T-cells, as well as macrophages and endothelial cells. As the name implies, this substance is an interleukin. However, it also classified as a cytokine, meaning that it is involved in relaying information between cells as both a signaling molecule and a signaling protein. As such, interleukin-6 may behave as both an anti-inflammatory agent and a pro-inflammatory mediator, depending on certain conditions. While interleukin-6 is manufactured naturally in the body, it can also be synthesized in a laboratory. Interleukin-6 is known by many other names, including interferon-B2, cytotoxic T-cell differentiation factor, and B-cell stimulatory factor-2, among others. It is also classified as a monomer, meaning that it belongs to a group of organic compounds that can bond with similar molecules to form polymers. Specifically, interleukin-6 is a monomer of 184 amino acids secre
