Generation of Soluble Interleukin-11 and Interleukin-6 Receptors: A Crucial Function for Proteases during Inflammation

Figure 3

Strategies to inhibit IL-6 and IL-11 signaling. Both sIL-6R/IL-6 and sIL-11R/IL-11 complexes can be specifically blocked by sgp130Fc, which does not bind IL-6 or IL-11 in the absence of their soluble receptors. The monoclonal antibody tocilizumab binds to IL-6R and thus blocks IL-6 classic signaling and trans-signaling. An IL-11 mutein, which binds to the IL-11R but does not activate intracellular signaling via gp130, blocks both IL-11 classic signaling and trans-signaling.