Expression of Toll-Like Receptors 2, 4 and 9 in Patients with Guillain-Barre Syndrome

Objective: A myriad of transcription factors and inflammatory cytokines have been described to participate in the pathogenesis of Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS). However, the innate immunity components - Toll-like receptors (TLRs) - have never been explored in this disease. We therefore investigated the expression of TLR2, 4 and 9 in the peripheral circulation of GBS patients as well as healthy controls. Methods: Twenty-one GBS patients and 21 healthy donors participated in this study. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were used for mRNA and protein analysis of TLR-related molecules. Also, peripheral blood mononuclear cells from different subjects were incubated with different TLR agonists and the subsequent IFN-gamma secretion was determined. Results: Expression of TLR2, 4 and 9 as well as their related signaling molecules were higher in GBS patients compared to healthy controls. Disability scores of GBS patients had a strong positive correlation with the high levels of expression of TLR2, 4 and 9. Conclusions: The TLR signaling pathway may be involved in the pathogenesis of GBS. Copyright (C) 2011 S. Karger AG, Basel