The role of Toll-like receptor 4 in acute pancreatitis / 中华危重病急救医学

ABSTRACT

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) is a kind of pattern recognition receptor which widely exists on the cell membrane. It is a natural immune system component which can regulate the inflammatory response of the body participating in the signal transduction of cells and play an important role in the endogenous immune response. But the excessive inflammatory reaction initiated by TLRs can make the immune function of the body unbalanced and damage the function of many organs. The earliest discovered TLR4 is a transmembrane protein, almost express in all kinds of cell. Lots of study show it is closely related to the occurrence and development of acute pancreatitis (AP). The role and mechanism of TLR4 in AP will be reviewed in this article.