TNF and diabetes mellitus: However, a chronic increase in inflammatory markers, such as interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1, tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) [1], and C-reactive protein (CRP) [2,3], plays a key role in various chronic conditions (e.g., type 2 diabetes mellitus [T2DM], cardiovascular diseases [CVDs] [4,5], and cancer [6]).