TNF and type 2 diabetes mellitus: As represented in Figure 4a–c, the transcriptional levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and TNF-α were significantly upregulated in T2DM (IL-6: 2.8-fold; p < 0.001; TNF-α: 8-fold; p < 0.001) and DFU (IL-6: 7-fold; p < 0.001; TNF-α: 7-fold; p < 0.001) when compared to the NGT.