TNF and systemic sclerosis: Besides their profibrotic nature, SSc dermal fibroblasts have also been proposed to contribute to the inflammation in the SSc skin as they secrete higher amounts of IL-6 compared to dermal fibroblasts isolated from healthy donors at baseline or in response to proinflammatory stimulations, such as TFNα or a combination of TNFα and IFNγ24,25.