新生儿坏死性小肠结肠炎（NEC）是新生儿中一种危及生命的肠道疾病，是早产儿因胃肠道疾病死亡的主要 原因。NEC的病因是多因素的，包括早产、人工喂养、肠道菌群改变、感染及遗传因素等，但其确切的发病机制尚未完全 明了，早产儿肠上皮细胞中Toll样受体4（TLR4）的表达升高被认为是NEC发病过程中的关键因素。近年来关于TLR4在 NEC发病机制中所起作用的研究不断增多，文章旨在综述相关研究，以期为NEC的预防及潜在治疗方法提供思路。

Neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a life-threatening intestinal disease in neonates and the leading cause of mortality in gastrointestinal diseases in premature infants. The etiology of NEC is multifactorial, including preterm delivery, artificial feeding, intestinal flora alteration, infection and genetic factors, but its exact pathogenesis is not fully understood. The elevation of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4 ) expression in intestinal cells of premature infants is considered to be a key factor involved in the occurrence of NEC. Considering the increasing findings emerged upon the role of TLR 4 in the pathogenesis of NEC, this review mainly discusses the related new research progress and the potential therapeutic approaches for NEC.