IL6 and acute respiratory distress syndrome: During ALI, the overreaction of the immune system results in the secretion of cytokines, including TNF-α, IL-6, adhesion molecule type 1 (ICAM) (Beck-Schimmer et al., 2002), and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM) (Gao et al., 2024), increased vascular permeability, and diffuse alveolar injury.