Tumor necrosis factor is a cytokine involved in systemic inflammation and is a member of a group of cytokines that all stimulate the acute phase reaction. TNF is mainly secreted by macrophages.
TNF causes apoptotic cell death，cellular proliferation，differentiation，inflammation，tumorigenesis and viral replication，TNF is also involved in lipid metabolism，and coagulation. TNF’s primary role is in the regulation of immune cells.
Dysregulation and，in particular，overproduction of TNF have been implicated in a variety of human diseases- autoimmune diseases，insulin resistance，and cancer.
