TLR9 is dispensable for intestinal ischemia/reperfusion-induced tissue damage

The mortality rate due to intestinal ischemia/reperfusion (IR) remains at 60-80%. As toll-like receptor (TLR) 4 has been shown to be critical for IR injury in several organs, including the intestine, and TLR9 is necessary for IR-induced damage of the liver, we investigated the hypothesis that TLR9 is involved in intestinal IR-induced damage. Wildtype (C57Bl/6) and TLR9(-/-) mice were subjected to intestinal IR or Sham treatment. Several markers of damage and inflammation were assessed, including mucosal injury, eicosanoid production, cytokine secretion and complement deposition. Although IR-induced injury was not altered, PGE(2) production was decreased in TLR9(-/-) mice. Attenuated PGE(2) production was not due to differences in percentage of lipids or COX-2 transcription. The data indicate that TLR9 is not required for IR-induced injury or inflammation of the intestine.