TGFB1 and pulmonary fibrosis: Furthermore, the PI3K/AKT and MAPK signaling pathway inhibition can curb the epithelial cell-induced inflammatory response and repress the TGF-β/Smad and PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathways, thereby prominently inhibiting fibroblasts-to-myofibroblast transformation and reducing pulmonary fibrosis in mice [16].