IL6 and Autoimmunity: Indeed, cytokines are synergistically involved in the pathogenesis of autoimmunity, such as IL-6, whose abnormal production results in polyclonal B-cell activation and the occurrence of autoimmune features176, and IL-17 and the related Th17-cell response177, which require IL-6 for activation178 and can cause greater amounts of autoantibody production and immune complex formation, or can intensify chronic inflammation by promoting angiogenesis and recruiting of inflammatory cells at inflammation sites as well as cartilage and bone erosion179.