Using the LPS-induced ARDS rat model, we found that the administration of an α7nAchR agonist in ARDS rats can reduce lung injury, while vagus nerve cutting and the administration of an α7nAchR inhibitor can aggravate the pulmonary inflammatory response, suggesting the presence of a pulmonary parasympathetic inflammatory reflex in the inflammatory response associated with ARDS. This evidence concerns the gene CHRNA7 and acute respiratory distress syndrome.