IL‐6 contributes to pain and hyperalgesia in inflamed tissue. We have investigated short‐ and long‐term effects of IL‐6 on dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurones. Glycoprotein 130‐like immunoreactivity (the signal transduction receptor subunit) was found in almost all neurones in DRG sections and in cultured DRG neurones from adult rat. In calcium‐imaging studies bath application of IL‐6 caused an increase of intracellular calcium in about one‐third of the DRG neurones suggesting functional IL‐6 receptors in a proportion of neurones. Long‐term but not short‐term exposure of DRG neurones to IL‐6 in vitro significantly enhanced the proportion of DRG neurones expressing neurokinin 1 receptor‐like immunoreactivity from 10% to up to 40%. This up‐regulation was dependent on the activation of mitogen‐activated protein kinase kinase (MEK) in the neurones, suggesting that the mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway is important for this effects of IL‐6. Calcium‐imaging studies demonstrated that previous exposure of DRG neurones to IL‐6 enhanced the proportion of neurones that exhibit a substance P‐induced rise in intracellular calcium. These data show that IL‐6 has short‐ and long‐term effects on a proportion of DRG neurones. These effects are likely to contribute to pro‐nociceptive effects of IL‐6.