Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) was originally described as a protein factor capable of killing
tumor cells in vitro and causing hemorrhagic necrosis of transplantable tumors in mice. 1, 2
A serum protein named “cachectin” isolated from chronically infected rabbits with
Trypanosoma brucei was later found to be identical to TNF. 3 TNF refers to two closely
related cytokines: TNF-ɑ and TNF-β (currently lymphotoxin-ɑ, LT-ɑ). Both interact with the
same receptors and elicit a variety of responses and have been implicated as pathogenic …