Circulating tumour necrosis factor-a(TNFa) levels, which are elevated in obesity-associated insulin resistance and diabetes, inhibit insulin signalling at several points in the signalling cascade. The liver is critical in maintaining cir-culating glucose levels and, in a preliminary investigation using the human hepatoma (HepG2) cell line in this study, we demonstrated the role of TNFa in the regulation of this phenomenon and determined the underlying molecular mechanisms.
