Toll-like receptors (TLRs) promote host defenses against invading viruses and pathogenic bacteria through corresponding adapter molecules leading to the initiation of innate immune response. We investigated the expression of TLR1-10 in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from patients with different clinical phases of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) infection and analyzed the correlation between TLRs and clinical profiles. Our results showed that expression of TLR3/5/7/9/10 and TLR2/4/6 mRNA was upregulated in active stage of CHB and CHB-related liver failure, respectively. Particularly we found that TLR9 mRNA expression is negatively correlated with serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), Tbil, PTA, and positively correlated with hepatitis B virus (HBV) viral load in CHB patients. Our results indicate that innate immune responses are significantly higher in CHB active phase than that in CHB-related liver failure, suggesting TLRs may play a critical role in development of CHB and CHB-related liver failure, the mechanisms need further to be further explored.
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