TLR4 and acute kidney injury: As TLR4 expresses on the renal tubular epithelium, glomeruli, and vascular endothelium, it was assumed to play an important role in sepsis-induced AKI [22], which was characterized by tubular injury including tubular epithelial cell edema, interstitial edema, and tubular lumen narrowing, or with glomerular injury such as swelling of glomerular epithelial cells, narrowing of the glomerular capillary lumen, and glomerular congestion [22].