TNF and endothelial dysfunction: In agreement with previous studies, the protective effects of polyphenols in maoberry extract may prevent endothelial dysfunction and inflammation via the downregulation of mRNA expression levels of TNF-α, IL-6, VCAM-1 and MCP-1 [18, 34, 39] by suppressing the activation of the transcription factor NF-κB in endothelial cells [41, 42].