TNF and myocardial infarction: In addition to protecting against atherosclerosis, UA protects against isoproterenol-induced myocardial infarction (MI) in rats as evidenced by reduced enzyme markers of disease (creatine kinase-MB and lactate dehydrogenase), lipid biomarkers (LDL, TG, and FFA), DNA fragmentation through upregulation of anti-apoptotic protein (Bcl-2, Bcl-xl), downregulation of apoptotic proteins, including Bax, caspase-3, -8, and -9, cytochrome c, TNF-α, and FAS, and reduced oxidative stress in the plasma and heart tissue of these animals [57,58].