IL-6 and type 1 diabetes mellitus: T cell responses and increase in IL-6 receptor surface expression

Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1D) is an autoimmune disease characterized by beta cell destruction (1), associated with cellular infiltration and inflammatory responses in the islets of Langerhans (2). The cellular components of this infiltrate include monocytes, macrophages, CD4+ and CD8+ T cells (3), and the balance between Th1 and Th2 cells is crucial in the pathogenesis of this disease (4).