TNF and Hepatic fibrosis: As shown in previous studies, Xiang et al. [30] suggested that the HLF/IL-6/STAT3 pathway plays an important role in liver fibrosis, and Dirchwolf et al. [31] revealed that the serum inflammatory mediator (such as IL-6, IL-7, IL-8, IL-10, IL 12, and TNF-α) levels in cirrhosis patients were significantly higher than those in healthy controls.