To investigate the effect of moxibustion with seed-sized moxa cone combined with Bufei Quyu Recipe(BQR) on lung function and nuclear factor kappa-B(NF-κB) signaling pathway in rats with pulmonary fibrosis(PF).Methods:A total of 60 adult rats(SD，half males and half females) were selected and divided into blank group，model group，prednisolone group，moxibustion group，BQR group and moxibustion+BQR group according to random number table，with 10 in each group.PF model was established by intratracheal injection of bleomycin.Prednisolone group was treated with prednisolone(5 mg/kg)，and moxibustion group was given moxibustion with seed-sized moxa cone.BQR group was treated with BQR(5 g/kg)，and moxibustion+BQR group received moxibustion with seed-sized moxa cone and BQR simultaneously.The blank group and model group were given equal volume of normal saline as control.After 30 days of treatment，the lung function of the PF rats was detected，and the lung tissue was subject to pathological examination.Additionally，the levels of tumour necrosis factor α(TNF-α)，interleukin-1β(IL-1β) and IL-6 in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid(BALF) and the mRNA levels of NF-κB，TGF-β and Smad2 in lung tissue were determined.Results:In the blank group，there was no obvious abnormality in the lung tissue.In the model group，marked collagen deposition，inflammatory cell infiltration，alveolar wall thickening，alveolar destruction and disorder and partial collapse of alveolar space were observed.After treatment with prednisolone，moxibustion with seed-sized moxa cone and BQR，collagen deposition in the lung tissue was significantly reduced and inflammation and fibrosis were significantly improved，with the most significant improvement in prednisolone group.Compared with the conditions in blank group，the forced vital capacity(FVC)，maximum voluntary ventilation(MVV) and dynamic compliance(Cdyn) in the other groups were decreased，and TNF-α，IL-1β，IL-6，NF-κB，TGF-β and Smad2 were increased(P<0.05).Compared with the model group，the treatment groups presented elevated FVC，MVV and Cdyn and reduced TNF-α，IL-1β，IL-6，NF-κB，TGF-β and Smad2.The curative effect of moxibustion+BQR group was better than that of moxibustion group and BQR group，while prednisolone group had the optimal curative effect(P<0.05).Conclusion:Moxibustion with seed-sized moxa cone combined with BQR can improve the lung function of PF rats，and its mechanism may be related to the inhibition of NF-κB signaling pathway.