Blocking interleukin 6 improves insulin resistance by increasing muscle glucose use and reduces liver fat in high-fat diet mice

An eight-week high-fat diet increased hepatic triglyceride content, which was reduced by a single injection of an anti-IL-6 receptor antibody.

• A high-fat diet for both 2 and 8 weeks raised plasma levels of IL-6, insulin, and leptin, which were lowered by anti-IL-6 receptor treatment.
• Single injection of the anti-IL-6 receptor antibody improved insulin resistance, potentially through increased glucose transporter type 4 and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha.
• The treatment also decreased the expression of leptin and tumor necrosis factor-alpha while increasing adiponectin in adipose tissue.
• Only the eight-week high-fat diet led to hepatic steatosis, which was reversed by the anti-IL-6 receptor treatment.

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