TNF and diabetes mellitus: In brief, diabetes is characterized by a low-grade systemic inflammation, with a permanent activation of the main inflammatory pathways (such as nuclear factor-κB, (NF-κB)) and the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines (i.e., tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-6 or IL-1β), mainly by macrophages.