In colon diseases, pirfenidone's effect on ulcerative colitis was studied in a rat model by Antar et al. They found that pirfenidone inhibited proinflammatory biomarker release, restored oxidant/antioxidant balance, preserved colonic architecture, and protected against ulcerative colitis by modulating TGFβ1/JNK‐1 and caspase 3 pathways.101. This evidence concerns the gene MAPK8 and ulcerative colitis.