IL6 and infection: In vitro studies using co-culture of human epithelial and stromal cells and cell lines (HeLa, HT29, and T84) demonstrated an upregulation of IL-8 transcripts during E. histolytica infections that correlated with increased secretion of this pro-inflammatory cytokine and others such as GROα, GM-CSF, IL-6, and IL-1α (Eckmann et al., 1995).