NFKB1 and infection: As shown in Figure 5a,b, both TLR4 and NF-κB mRNA levels were significantly (p < 0.05) elevated in a time-dependent manner following infection, with NF-κB showing a peak 13.4-fold increase at 48 h and TLR4 reaching a maximum 7.4-fold induction at 72 h compared with uninfected controls.