TLR4 and Hepatic steatosis: However, our preliminary results in female rats supplemented with 10% fructose indicate that in this model, hepatic steatosis is not associated with an increase in plasma endotoxin levels or the expression of inflammatory markers, such as TNFα, toll-like receptor-4 (TLR4) and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), in the liver.