TNF and Hypertension: In agreement with that hypothesis, our findings demonstrated that central inhibition of TNF-α by 14 consecutive days of pentoxifylline treatment, starting at 4 weeks after implantation of a silver clip in the renal artery, promoted a reduction in MAP compared to non-treated hypertensive rats, suggesting that TNF-α is acting on cardiovascular control areas in the central nervous system during the development of hypertension.