IL6 and viral myocarditis: Using right cervical vagotomy and nicotine to inhibit and activate the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway, we studied the echocardiography, myocardial histopathology, viral RNA, and proinflammatory cytokine levels in these five groups, and found that vagotomy aggravated myocardial lesions, up-regulated the expression of TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6, and worsened the impaired left ventricular function in murine viral myocarditis.