TNF and infection: Airway epithelium responds to pathogens by producing antimicrobial molecules, proinflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), IL-6, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), and chemokines (IL-8, eotaxin, and macrophage chemoattractant protein-1) which recruit cells belonging to the innate immunity such as macrophages, dendritic cells, and neutrophils (PMN) in order to mount an inflammatory response and control early stages of infection [4, 5].