Tumor necrosis factor-α and diabetic nephropathy

Tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)is an important inflammatory factor.In recent years,increasing evidences demonstrate that it participates in the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy.TNF-αinvolves in kidney injury by several mechanisms,such as damaging the glomerular permeability barrier,chansins glomerular hemodynamics,promoting mesangial cell proliferation,extracellular matrix accumulation,inflammation and inducing apeptosis.At present,there is a new strategy of therapy for diabetic nephropathy depending on restraining TNF-α.Such drugs including pentoxifylline and TNF-α specific antibody were studied.