Background Toll-like receptors play an important role in the human immune system. This study was conducted to investigate the expression profiles and function of Toll-like receptor (TLR)1-9 in human corneal epithelium.Methods The expression of TLR1-9 mRNA in 20 human donor corneal epithelia samples abraded during photorefractive keratotomy (PRK) and cultivated telomerase-immortalized human corneal epithelial cells (THCEs) was examined by semi-quantitative reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis. Human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were used as positive controls. The expression of the TLR2 and TLR4 proteins was detected by Western analysis. ELISA was used to detect IL-8 secretion from THCEs challenged with ligands for TLR3 and TLR4 with and without antibody blockade.Results The expression of TLR1-9 at the mRNA level was detected in the epithelia of 20 patients and in THCE.Significant differences among individuals were observed. One patient was found to lack of the expression of TLR3, 4, 6 and 8, whereas another did not express TLR5. The expression of TLR2 and TLR4 protein was detected in human corneal epithelial cells. As THCE cells express TLR1-9, cells were challenged with lipopolysaccharides (LPS) and poly I:C to determine whether TLR4 and TLR3 were functional. The results showed that secretion of IL-8 by cells stimulated with LPS and Poly I:C was 7 to 10 fold greater than secretion by unchallenged cells. Blocking TLR4 with an anti-TLR4 antibody significantly inhibited the LPS-induced IL-8 production by THCE (P＜0.05).Conclusion Human corneal epithelial cells express multiple TLRs and are able to recognize LPS and poly I:C. Different expression profiles among individuals suggest that differences in the susceptibilities and sensitivities to bacterial and viral infection in human populations relate to different patterns of TLR expression.