IL6 and infection: The infection caused by H. pylori strains, especially those producing many virulence factors, contributes to the formation of the inflammatory altered gastric environment, which is characterized by occurrence of numerous immune cells (neutrophils, macrophages, and T cells), proinflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-α), chemokines, and matrix metalloproteinases (Ma et al. 2016).