In the current study, WT mice with diabetes exhibited upregulation of TLR4 in glomeruli, together with expression of endogenous ligands and downstream inflammatory cytokines (IL-6 & TNF-α) and chemokines (CCL2 & CXCL10) along with evidence of glomerular injury, strongly supports a role for TLR4 in mediating DN. Here, TNF is linked to diabetes mellitus.