IL-6 is an important cytokine that plays an important role in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis. We summarized the clinical efficacy and safety of tocilizumab, the IL-6 receptor monoclonal antibody in rheumatoid arthritis, and compared tocilizumab with TNF-α blocking mAbs. The efficiency of tocilizuamb is equivalent to that of TNF-α blockers, and each of the drugs has its advantages and disadvantages. We also summarized the clinical trials of the mAbs blocking IL-6 pathway in development. According to the results of recent studies by several research teams including our research group, IL-6 is another key target for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis after TNF-α. The listing of the IL-6 blockers provides more choices for personalized treatment of rheumatoid arthritis in the future.
IL-6 是一种重要的细胞因子，在类风湿关节炎发病过程中发挥重要作用。本文对已上市的IL-6 受体单克隆抗体tocilizumab 对类风湿关节炎的临床疗效和安全性进行了总结，并和TNF-α 阻断药物进行了对比，证明tocilizumab 在药物疗效和副作用方面与TNF-α 阻断药物相比各有优劣。另外也对在研的IL-6 通路阻断单抗的临床试验结果进行了总结。结合本中心近年的研究和总结，IL-6 是继TNF-α 之后的另一个重要的类风湿关节炎治疗关键靶点，该类药物的上市为以后类风湿关节炎的个性化治疗提供了更多的选择。.
Keywords: IL-6; monoclonal antibodies; rheumatoid arthritis.