NFKB1 and asthma: Moreover, Wongtrakool et al. 57 have reported that nicotine stimulates NGF release by lung fibroblasts through α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7 nAChR)- and nuclear factor-κB (NFκB)-dependent pathways suggesting that this may contribute to tobacco smoke-induced airway hyper-responsiveness found in asthma.