TNF and anterior uveitis: However, the trigger of the inflammation may be an immune reaction to an environmental or bacterial antigen in a person with a predisposed genetic background.[2] This may prompt the overexpression of interleukin-12 (IL-12), IL-17, and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α).[9,10] High levels of TNF-α have been detected in the aqueous and sera of patients with different underlying causes of anterior uveitis including AS.[2]