TNF and diabetic retinopathy: The immunomodulatory attribute of mTOR inhibition could be used to suppress NF-κB expression, which would reduce the expression of downstream pro-inflammatory mediators such as monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP-1), VEGF, TNF-α, IL-1β, RAGE, ICAM-1, and vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM-1) that are under the regulatory influence of NF-κB. These pro-inflammatory cytokines, chemokines, and adhesion molecules have been demonstrated to play a role in the development and progression of diabetic retinopathy [44].