TLR4 and preterm premature rupture of the membranes: Third, TLR4 was already known to be expressed in the fetal membranes and cervices of animals (Gonzalez et al., 2007; Harju et al., 2005; Moço et al., 2013) and to play a role as a key regulator in a sterile or septic inflammatory reaction in response to aggression by a pathogen-associated molecular pattern/DAMP, which leads to PPROM (Chin et al., 2016; Li et al., 2010; Patni et al., 2007; Wang and Hirsch, 2003).