Similarly, rfhSP-D has been shown to neutralize and downregulate pro-inflammatory cytokines in vitro including TNF-α, interferon (IFN)-α, IFN-β, interleukin (IL)-6, and regulated on activation normal T-cell expressed and secreted (RANTES), upon influenza infection of a basal epithelial cell line (25, 26). This evidence concerns the gene IL6 and influenza.