TNF and endothelial dysfunction: Consistent with our previous findings, TNF-α, a pro-inflammatory cytokine that circulates in excess in preeclampsia [16] and a likely contributor to endothelial dysfunction [17], successfully induced endothelial dysfunction (5), indicated by the significant increase in expression of ET-1 (Figure 2A; p < 0.0001) and VCAM1 (Figure 2B; p < 0.0001).