Also, peripheral effects are observed after rhEpo with the reduction of intraepidermal nerve loss in diabetic neuropathy and reduced Schwann cell TNF-α expression in chronic constriction injury.4,11 In contrast, in a rat neuritis model, ARA290 prevented the development of mechanical allodynia but did not reduce TNF-α mRNA production in the affected nerve, suggestive of a central effect of ARA290.45 In addition, ARA290 has been shown to promote repair of small autonomic nerve fibers within sympathetic ganglia in a mouse model of diabetic neuropathy.47 Here, TNF is linked to diabetic neuropathy.