IL6 and acute respiratory distress syndrome: In addition, FMT significantly reduces the TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 levels as well as inflammatory cell infiltration and interstitial exudate, thereby improving LPS-induced endotoxic ALI in rats, which is associated with the decreased expression of TGF-β1, Smad3, and P-ERK (Li et al., 2020).