TGFB1 and pulmonary fibrosis: Among the pro-fibrotic cytokines involved in the development of pulmonary fibrosis, transforming growth factor (TGF-β) is considered the most potent, playing a pivotal role in the differentiation of lung fibroblasts to myofibroblasts that stimulate ECM accumulation through the TGF-β1/SMAD signaling pathway [7,8].