TLR4 and rheumatoid arthritis: Moreover, SGFD treatment significantly reduced the serum levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, IFN-γ and IL-17, as well as thymus and spleen indexes in rats, demonstrating that SGFD inhibited the activation of the TLR4/NF-κB/MAPK pathway and the expression/production of pro-inflammatory cytokines at RA.