TNF-α: Common Culprit of Inflammatory Diseases

Inflammation is a necessary evil required for restorative activities and healing but is also involved in the onset of diseases. Inflammatory markers such as Interleukin 6 (IL-6), ACE, and Tumor Necrosis Factor-α (TNF-α) are reported to be vital in the onset of various diseases including coronary artery disease (CAD), obesity, and diabetes. These inflammatory markers are reported from the various populations and are also involved in the pathophysiology of many other diseases. Yet there is no explanation that how these genes controlling specific inflammatory pathways are responsible for all of these diseases. Therefore, pathways enrichment method is exploited to identify the role of inflammatory genes in the onset of CAD, obesity, and diabetes. The results are verified and analyzed using protein-protein interaction network and disease-gene network analysis. It is concluded that CAD, obesity, and diabetes are linked with each other through AGE/RAGE and HIF-1 Signaling Pathway. It is also found that TNF-α is the common inflammatory gene which is involved for CAD, obesity, and diabetes.