Tumor necrosis factor alpha

Tumor necrosis factor alpha or TNF-alpha (also sometimes written as TNF, TNFα, cachexin, or cachectin) is a cytokine that causes systemic inflammation and is one of the cytokines triggered by the immune system during the acute phase of an illness.

Its name is derived from its original discovery that it caused tumor necrosis (i.e., tumor cell death) in certain animal model systems. Since then, multiple effects for this immune protein have been identified.

Notable studies

 * 1999, TNF-alpha and chronic fatigue syndrome