In vivo, intratracheal treatment with Lv-shβ-catenin significantly reduced expression of β-catenin in the lung and levels of TGF-β1 in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, and notably attenuated pulmonary fibrosis as evidenced by hydroxyproline content and collagen I\III synthesis in silica-administered mice. Here, TGFB1 is linked to pulmonary fibrosis.