During the acute form of sarcoidosis, higher levels of interleukin (IL)-2, interferon (INF)-γ and IL-12 are present in the lung of affected patients, and a huge amount of lymphocytes with an elevated CD4/CD8 ratio and pro-inflammatory cytokines [such as IFN-γ, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-a and macrophage inflammatory protein-1b (MIP-1b)] are detectable in the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid [48]. Here, TNF is linked to sarcoidosis.