IL6 and rheumatoid arthritis: Nevertheless, previous studies have demonstrated that the RASF cell line is a prototype of activated SFs expressing genes and secreting inflammatory cytokines (for example, IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-11, IL-16, IL-18, CXCL-1–3/Gro-α-γ, CXCL-8/IL-8, CCL-2/monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, basic fibroblast growth factor, and leukaemia inhibiting factor) and matrix-degrading enzymes (for example, MMP-1, cathepsin-B, and cathepsin-L) associated with the pathomechanism of RA [14,18,21,22].