Third, TNC−/− mice showed attenuated proinflammatory cytokine release upon injection of LPS and the inflammation-enhancing role of TNC is further supported by mouse studies reporting a protective anti-inflammatory effect of TNC deficiency in a number of inflammatory disease models, including hepatic ischemia/reperfusion injury (20), concanavalin A–induced hepatitis (21), joint inflammation (3, 22), autoimmune encephalomyelitis (23), and Alzheimer's disease (24). This evidence concerns the gene TNC and Arthritis.