IL6 and rheumatoid arthritis: Moreover, Bennett et al. further elaborated that IL-6 plays a pivotal role in the pathophysiology of muscle wasting, particularly in conditions like RA-associated sarcopenia. 48 Chronic elevation of IL-6, along with other pro-inflammatory cytokines, accelerates muscle protein breakdown by upregulating the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS), which leads to muscle atrophy48,49 (Fig. 2).