TNF and atherosclerosis: In line with this, higher plasmatic concentrations of ADMA, an endogenous inhibitor of the endothelial nitric oxide synthase, and of TNF-α, a biomarker of inflammation that plays an important role in endothelial dysfunction and in the development and progression of atherosclerosis [41], have been previously observed to be related to impaired endothelial function in humans [9].