The Role and Quantification of Interlekin-6 across Traumatic Brain Injury, Stroke, and Gliomas in Human Patients

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), stroke, and gliomas all share the significant symptom of neuroinflammation. Neuroinflammation is the overreaction of our brain’s inflammatory system, including microglia and astrocytes, and is also observed in many cognitive and behavioral disorders. Commonly, research on neuroinflammation includes blood and CSF assays to detect a potential cause behind symptoms or gain insight into targeted treatment. Interleukin 6, or IL-6, is a pro-inflammatory cytokine commonly associated with neuroinflammation and can be measured with laboratory assays. This research aims to discuss the correlation between levels of IL-6 and human patients with neuroinflammation, specifically if higher levels/significant changes in IL-6 are associated with neuroinflammation in TBI, stroke, and glioma. Data was collected from the PubMed database focusing on patient studies, reviews, and meta-analyses involving cytokine profiling or measurement with IL-6. Most studies compare IL-6 levels in healthy, control patients to patients with one of the neurological conditions listed above.  The studies discussed in this review repeatedly exemplify that IL-6 levels are significantly higher in patients with neuroinflammation, and this pattern is seen in all three conditions. In the sector of developing better therapies and treatment for TBI, stroke, and glioma, this data strongly suggests that the role of IL-6 should be further investigated in neuroinflammatory conditions.

Laasya Alampali is a full-time, high school student who focuses on studying neurology, specifically neuroinflammation. She has conducted two independent research projects on neuroinflammatory diseases, designed a prospective study, and interns at Moffitt Cancer Center.