HMOX1 and acute respiratory distress syndrome: By examining the lung tissue in rats with ALI, we found that the Nrf2 mRNA expression levels and those of its downstream targets, NQO-1 and HO-1, were significantly lower in the model group (p < 0.05), while EEAR promoted Nrf2 mRNA expression levels and those of its downstream targets (p < 0.05) (Figure 6A–C).