IL6 and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: IL-1β, IL-2, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-11, IL-12, IL17-A, and IL-33 are all increased in the blood or BAL of IPF patients compared to healthy controls, implicating a role for inflammation in the fibrotic lung.88, 89These cytokines are largely pro-inflammatory, though some have pro-fibrotic activity as well, and facilitate immune cell recruitment, ECM production, and fibrosis.88, 90Despite mouse models demonstrating a robust inflammatory response to bleomycin preceding fibrosis, targeting an inflammatory component of IPF has not proven beneficial, and may even worsen mortality.