Chronic kidney disease and pathogen sensors

There are several receptors that detect microbial products. They are responsible for triggering an inflammatory response by the innate immune system. This is important to guard against infections. Sometimes inflammation can happen when it is not needed to protect against infection. A low level of inflammation is sometimes detected in chronic diseases.

Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) detects lipopolysaccharides (LPS). The outer layer of gram-negative bacteria contains LPS. TLR4 might also detect some molecules released during tissue damage. We investigated the role of TLR4 in chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Breaking TLR4 so it could not trigger the innate immune system protected against CKD.

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