IL6 and infection: In infected AGMs, the plasma level of different NF-κB-mediated cytokines, including interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα), macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-1α, MIP-1 β, and IL-12/23, remained relatively stable, without any significant increase during the course of severe, eventually lethal infection (Fig. 1b).