TNF and Stroke: Examples of other mediators more upstream in the inflammatory cascade that have been studied with respect to stroke outcomes include pro-inflammatory proteins, such as interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) [9, 10], as well as anti-inflammatory proteins, such as IL-10, IL-4 and TNF-β [3].