IL6 and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: Fibroblasts isolated from the lung parenchyma of individuals with COPD are less contractile [19, 20], less active to chemoattractant migration [19], and express and secrete increased levels of inflammatory cytokines CXCL8 and IL-6 [21] compared to parenchymal fibroblasts from individuals without COPD, suggesting they have diminished capacity to mediate repair responses potentially contributing to emphysema development and an enhanced pro-inflammatory profile.