To determine the possible role of TLR4 in polymyositis (PM) development, we collected muscle samples from PM patients and mice subjected to an experimental autoimmune myositis (EAM) model.
TLR4 and TLR3, two potent inducers of autophagy, were highly increased in IIM, with TLR4 transcripts significantly more expressed in PM and DM than in JDM, sIBM and controls, and TLR3 transcripts highly up-regulated in all IIM subgroups compared to controls.
The aim of this study was to investigate the expressions of Toll-like receptor (TLR) 2, TLR4, TLR9, and their correlations with the expression of cytokines that are associated with activation of CD4(+) T cells and inflammation including interferon gamma (IFNgamma), interleukin 4 (IL4), interleukin 17 (IL17), and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) in muscle tissues of patients with dermatomyositis (DM) and polymyositis (PM).