In diabetic mice, the inhibition of TNF-α leads to decreased urinary albumin excretion, and in a clinical trial where DN patients were treated with pentoxifylline, a methylxanthine derivative with anti-inflammatory function, the reduction in urinary TNF-α concentration was directly correlated with the change in albuminuria, suggesting the role of TNF-α in the pathogenesis of DN (Moriwaki et al., 2007; Navarro-González et al., 2015). The gene discussed is TNF; the disease is liver dysplastic nodule.