Furthermore, qRT-PCR (Figure 4J‒L) and western blotting (Figure 4M‒O) results showed that NRF1, along with p65 and IL-6, was upregulated in both male and female COPD pulmonary tissues but only further upregulated in male gonadectomized group. This evidence concerns the gene NRF1 and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.