On the other hand, despite the physiological relevance of this cytokine, it is known that the increase of its biosynthesis and release leads to exacerbation of inflammatory and oxidative responses, which are related to the pathogenesis of a wide range of diseases, e.g. rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, Crohn's disease, erythema nodosum leprosum and multiple myeloma (Hashimoto, 2002; Mukhopadhyay et