TNF and systemic lupus erythematosus: As shown in Figure 4(i), renal macrophages secreted much higher levels of TNF-α and IL-6 in pHMGB1-treated SLE mice than those from empty vector-treated SLE mice, whereas renal macrophages from glycyrrhizin-treated SLE mice secreted lower levels of TNF-α and IL-6 than those PBS-treated SLE mice (Figure 4(j)).