One investigation showed that the potent antioxidant N-acetylcysteine inhibited TGF-β1-induced EMT in a rat epithelial cell line and in primary rat alveolar epithelial cells, indicating that oxidative stress might be responsible for pulmonary function and the antioxidant possess its beneficial effects on idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis [29]. Here, TGFB1 is linked to idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.