TNF and diabetes mellitus: Ku et al. [27] reported that HG-induced ROS generation in cardiomyocytes is linked to diabetic cardiomyopathy through GATA binding protein 4 phosphorylation and a higher expression of cardiac troponin I. Kageyama et al. [28] found that HG up-regulated death receptor expression, coupled with increased tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha secretion, promoted endothelial cell apoptosis, and suggested that it is contributes to coronary arterial endothelial dysfunction and the development of ischemic heart disease in diabetes.