Background Toll-like receptor-4 (TLR-4) is integrally involved in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) signaling and has a requisite cytoprotective effect have yet to be elucidated. Therefore we examined in an in vitro model the cytoprotective effect of PFC on LPS-stimulated alveolar epithelial cellls (AECs).Methods AECs (A549 cells, human lung adenocarcinoma cell line) were divided into four groups: control, PFC, LPS and LPS + PFC (coculture group) groups. Intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) was detected by ELISA, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-8 (IL-8) were detected by radioimmunological methods. The expression of Results ICAM-1, TNF-a and IL-8 were significantly increased in LPS-stimulated AECs groups. The expression of translocation into the nucleus. There were no significant effects of PFC alone on any of the factors studied while the coculture group showed significant downregulation of the secretion of ICAM-1, TNF-α and IL-8, the expression of TLR-4 Conclusions Taken together, our results demonstrate that LPS can induce AEC-related inflammatory injury via the injury by blocking the initiation of the LPS signaling pathway, which is indicated by the significant decrease of TLR-4