Objective Pre-eclampsia involves a maternal inflammatory response that differs from both normal pregnancy and normotensive intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). Our objective was to examine neutrophil Toll-like receptor (TLR), cryopyrin, nuclear factor-jB (NF-jB) subunit and interleukin-1b (IL-1b), and inflammatory cytokine profiles in women with preeclampsia or normotensive IUGR, as well as in normal pregnancy and non-pregnancy controls.Design and method A case-control study was performed. We examined the messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein expressions of TLR4 and TLR2, mRNA levels of cryopyrin, IL-1b, NF-jB subunits p50 and p65, as well as maternal serum inflammatory cytokine profiles (IL-2, IL-6, tumour necrosis factor-a [TNF-a], interferon-c [IFN-c] and IL-10) in women with and without pre-eclampsia using real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reactions, flow cytometry and multiplex immunoassays.Setting A single tertiary maternity hospital in Vancouver, Canada.Population Women with early-onset pre-eclampsia (<34 weeks of gestation, n = 25), women with late-onset pre-eclampsia ( ‡34 +0 weeks of gestation, n = 25), women with normotensive IUGR (n = 25), women with normal pregnancy (n = 75) and non-pregnancy (n = 25) controls.Results Women with pre-eclampsia (as a single combined group of early-and late-onset, and particularly in women with earlyonset pre-eclampsia) had increased TLR2 and TLR4 mRNA and protein expressions elevated cryopyrin, NF-jB subunit, and IL-1b mRNA expression, and TNF-a:IL-10 and IL-6:IL-10 ratios compared with other groups.Conclusions These data suggest that TLRs and cryopyrin may modulate the innate immune response of the maternal syndrome of pre-eclampsia, and might also trigger the differential inflammatory response existing between early onset pre-eclampsia and normotensive IUGR.