TNF and acute respiratory distress syndrome: In addition, measurement by RT-qPCR of inflammatory factor mRNA expression in the lung tissue of rats with ALI demonstrated that the mRNA expression levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), and inducible nitric oxide synthase (INOS) were significantly higher in the model group than in the control group (p < 0.01), while the mRNA expression levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, COX-2, and INOS were significantly lower in the EEARH and Dex groups after the administration of the drug treatments (p < 0.05) (Figure 2F–J).