Therapeutic research targeting activation of nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), which is involved in oxidative stress and lung inflammation in COPD, could provide better strategies to delay or treat the disease, finds new Chinese research. The findings reveal Nrf2 expression was downregulated in the lungs of COPD patients due to hypermethylation of its promoter. Therefore, inhibiting ferroptosis –the accumulation of lipid reactive oxygen species (ROS) related to COPD– by promoting Nrf2 could open up new treatment possibilities in COPD, which currently lacks any curative strategies. Even as the role of Nrf2 in ferroptosis and its epigenetic regulation in the pathogenesis of COPD remain unclear, the current study by a team of researchers at the Department of Respiratory Medicine at Wuxi People’s Hospital affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, shows that Nrf2/GPX4 activation can alleviate ferroptosis and inflammation in COPD.