IL6 and diabetes mellitus: A report [46] has found that the levels of TNF-α and IL-6 in the diabetes group were significantly higher than those of the normal group at the 2th week after induction, while another study [47] has suggested that IL-6 and TNF-α became significantly elevated in diabetic retina after STZ injection as compared with normal rats at the 4th week after induction and continued to the 8th week.