TNF and acute respiratory distress syndrome: Compared with the model group, IL-6 and total protein contents in the CEP gavage group were significantly different (p < 0.01), but TNF-α was not significantly different (p > 0.05); while the DXM group exhibited significantly reduced IL-6, TNF-α, and total protein levels in the lung tissue of ALI model rats (p < 0.01), which was comparable to the CEP DPIs group (Figure 6).