Outcomes following heart transplantation remain suboptimal with acute and chronic rejection being major contributors to poor long-term survival. IL-6 is increasingly recognized as a critical pro-inflammatory cytokine involved in allograft injury and has been shown to play a key role in regulating the inflammatory and alloimmune responses following heart transplantation. Therapies that inhibit IL-6 signaling have emerged as promising strategies to prevent allograft rejection. Here, we review experimental and pre-clinical evidence that supports the potential use of IL-6 signaling blockade to improve outcomes in heart transplant recipients.
Keywords: basic (laboratory) research/science; cytokines/cytokine receptors; heart (allograft) function/dysfunction; heart transplantation/cardiology; immunosuppressant-fusion proteins and monoclonal antibodies; immunosuppression/immune modulation; rejection: acute; rejection: chronic; solid organ transplantation; translational research/science.
© 2022 The American Society of Transplantation and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons.