IL6 and necrotizing enterocolitis: In a study done by Underwood et al. in 2014, mice fed with formula and Bifidobacterium longum subspecies Infantis had decreased incidence of NEC, as well as decreased expression of pro-inflammatory mediators, interleukin (IL)-6, chemokine-1 (CXCL-1), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), and IL-23, as well as inducible nitric oxide synthase, an important microbial pattern sensor that triggers an inflammatory response [44].