IL6 and Sepsis: While these cytokines may be best known for the roles they play in cytokine storms in sepsis, the circulating levels of cytokines detected in the canine model of drowning might only be a little lower than that observed in sepsis [16] IL-8 and IL-6 release can cause the recruitment and polarization of pro-inflammatory immune cells while also driving increased vascular permeability, while TNF-α can induce both pro-inflammatory and apoptotic responses in a wide range of cells [17, 18].