TNF and acute kidney injury: Serum concentrations of the proinflammatory cytokines (TNFα and IL-1β) were markedly elevated in AKI patients compared to non-AKI patients (TNFα: 82.75±20.12 pg/ml vs 52.48±12.26 pg/ml; IL-1β: 23.15±5.69 pg/ml vs 4.48±0.53 pg/ml) (Table 1).