Intratracheal administration of HMGB1 induced lung injury in mice and the pathological effects of intratracheal lipopolysaccharide (LPS) were partially ameliorated by systemic administration of anti-HMGB1 antibodies8, thereby implicating pattern-recognition receptors such as RAGE or toll-like receptors in the pathogenesis of ARDS. Here, HMGB1 is linked to acute respiratory distress syndrome.