Thus, the exaggerated capacity of orbital fibroblasts to express high levels of both IL-6 and its receptor in an anatomic site-selective manner could represent an important basis for immune responses localized to the orbit in Graves' disease.
Whether IL-6 also stimulates adipogenesis in the orbit is unclear at present, but such an effect could contribute to the increased volume of orbital adipose/connective tissue characteristic of this condition.
These findings suggest that IL-6 may play a role in the pathogenesis of GO by increasing expression of the putative autoantigen within the adipose/connective tissues of the orbit.