title: The emerging role of toll-like receptor pathways in surgical diseases.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To outline the emerging significance of Toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling pathways in surgical diseases.
  
  
  METHODS
  A systematic review of the literature was undertaken by searching the MEDLINE database for the period 1966 to 2005 without language restriction.
  
  
  METHODS
  Original or review articles that described experimental data on the activation of TLR signaling pathways in surgically relevant diseases were selected for inclusion in this review.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were obtained from peer-reviewed articles and references.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The role of TLRs in the recognition of pathogens renders them a key figure in the activation of both innate and adaptive immune responses during sepsis. However, emerging evidence points to fundamentally important roles in ulcerative colitis, Crohn disease, and Helicobacter pylori infection in the gastrointestinal tract and in the development of atherosclerotic plaques in the cardiovascular system. Furthermore, recent studies suggest that the regulation of the TLR pathway fulfills a central role in anticancer immunotherapy and in organ rejection after transplantation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Given the clinical significance of TLR pathways, the targeting of individual molecular components is likely to offer a broad range of future therapeutic modalities.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Cork University Hospital, National University of Ireland, Cork.
authors.forename: Laszlo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Romics
authors.forename: Gyongyi
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Szabo
authors.forename: John Calvin
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Coffey
authors.forename: Jiang Huai
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Henry Paul
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Redmond
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000276:immunology; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000276:immunology; D041981:Gastrointestinal Tract / Q000276:immunology; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology; D018746:Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome / Q000276:immunology*; D051193:Toll-Like Receptors / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D051193:Toll-Like Receptors