TNF and infection: Figure 5A shows that IGFBP-3 alone has no effect on the mRNA levels however, infection with Ad:IGFBP-3, in the presence of TNF-α (50 ng/ml) significantly downregulates the mRNA levels of TNF-α-induced ICAM-1, VCAM-1 and MCP-1. IKK inhibitor treatment confirms that TNF-α and IGFBP-3 mediate their effects by regulating the NF-κB pathway. Figure 5B shows the protein profile for ICAM-1, confirming that IGFBP-3 inhibits TNF-α induced NF-κB activity in HAECs.