TGFB1 and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: As illustrated in Fig. 7 (panels A and B), the gene expression of TGF-β1 and pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-6 showed a significant strong fold increase in the BI group compared to the CI group at the end of the induction phase (P ≤ 0.05), indicating the successful induction of IPF.