IL6 and major depressive disorder: And in patients with MDD, exercise has been shown to reduce levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-6, interleukin-10 (IL-10), TNF-α, transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), and CRP, which may contribute to neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, and neurodegeneration (Pruimboom et al., 2015; Venkatesh et al., 2020).