TNF and acute respiratory distress syndrome: AEC may also contribute to inflammatory events in ALI/ARDS, as they are an important source of cytokines (eg. TNFα, IL1β, IL6) and chemokines (eg.monocyte chemotactic protein [MCP] 1, IL8) under inflammatory conditions [14], [15], [16], and also promote intra-alveolar coagulation [17].