NFE2L2 and acute respiratory distress syndrome: Nrf2 activation regulates antioxidant responses to modify cellular redox states from predominantly pro-oxidant to antioxidant, and, in an antioxidant environment, macrophage phenotypes shift from M1 pro-inflammatory to M2 anti-inflammatory, reducing the probability of cytokine storms, ARDS, and lethality (Tan et al., 2016; Bousquet et al., 2020; Calabrese et al., 2021).