NFKB1 and pulmonary fibrosis: The study results reveal improved destruction degree of lung tissue structure with increasing AE dosage, reduced collagen deposition in lung interstitium, and reduced degree of inflammatory infiltration and inflammatory cytokines; indeed, the protective effect of AE on pulmonary fibrosis was partly due to activation of Nrf2 pathway and the inhibition of NF-kB/TGF-β1/Smad2/3 pathway [160].