In accordance with results in vitro, attenuation of MMPs expression in the lung and TGF-β1 secretion in BALF by Lv-shβ-catenin was observed in mice of silicosis, however, presented earlier than onset of alteration in lung fibrosis (7 days versus 28 days and 56 days after silica instillation), which suggests the role of MMPs and TGF-β1 in the development of lung fibrosis. Here, TGFB1 is linked to pulmonary fibrosis.