TNF and sensorineural hearing loss disorder: In mouse models, systemic injection of the TNF blocker, etanercept, resulted in a reduction in the cytokine expression levels of a number of cells in the ES lumen (7) and protection against TNF-α-induced sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) (36), whereas the loss of IL-6 production in knock-out mice was shown to suppress macrophage recruitment and decrease local inflammation (37).