Anti–interleukin‐6 receptor antibody therapy reduces vascular endothelial growth factor production in rheumatoid arthritis

Abstract

Anti-IL-6R mAb therapy reduced VEGF production in RA. IL-6 is the pivotal cytokine that induces VEGF production in synergy with IL-1beta or TNFalpha, and this may be the mechanism by which IL-6 blockade effectively suppresses VEGF production in synovial fibroblasts.