TNF and diabetes mellitus: Patients with diabetes mellitus demonstrate deficient neutrophil chemotaxis, phagocytic, microbicidal activities, aberrant cellular infiltration and macrophage activation, decreased release of tumor necrosis factor (TNF-alpha), interleukin (IL-1beta), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) from macrophages, impaired leukocyte function, and decreased fibroblast proliferation [39].