In the case of IPF, PDL1 may also impact EMT in the following ways: firstly, the PDL1 signaling pathway, including STAT3, p53, β-catenin, and PI3K/AKT/mTOR, may affect alveolar epithelial cell migration and EMT induction mediated by TGF-β (96–99); secondly, PDL1 in IPF can impede autophagy, a tumor suppressor process that selectively downregulates key transcription factors associated with EMT, thereby hindering metastasis in the early stages (100); lastly, PDL1 in IPF can induce Tregs and M2 macrophages. Here, STAT3 is linked to idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.