There were marked elevations of mRNA expressions of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and toll like receptor (TLR)4 to about 4∼8 fold, and of monocyte chemotactic protein (MCP)-1 to about 300 fold in the renal cortex in the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-injected mice taken at 20 hours after LPS-injection. Treatment with aldose reductase inhibitor (ARI) before or after the injection of LPS significantly all suppressed the elevations. There was no significant difference between pretreated and posttreated groups. Each group consists of 5∼8 animals. Bar stands for mean ± SE. C: Control, L: LPS-injected group, Pre: LPS+ARI-pretreatment group, Post: LPS+ARI-posttreatment group. *p<0.01 vs Control, **p<0.01 vs LPS, †p<0.05 vs LPS.