TNF and Sepsis: A recent study further showed that luteolin (20 mg/kg) inhibits the AKT1/nitric oxide synthase 2/cathepsin G (AKT1/NOS2/CTSG) axis, thereby blocking caspase-11 and GSDMD activation, leading to reduced IL-1β and TNF-α release, thus mitigating sepsis-induced pulmonary injury (Zhang et al., 2023).