Inflammation and oxidative stress were involved in alveolar epithelial cells (AECs) damage and contributed to the progression of acute lung injury (ALI). Growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15) was reported to have important roles in pulmonary diseases, yet its role in AECs damage and ALI remains elusive. Herein, we found that GDF-15 was upregulated upon LPS stimulation in murine lungs and human AECs. GDF-15 treatment prevented, whereas Gdf-15 silence aggravated LPS-induced inflammation, oxidative stress and apoptosis. Moreover, we determined that GDF-15 alleviated AECs damage and ALI via upregulating SIRT1, and SIRT1 suppression completely abrogated the beneficial effects of GDF-15 in vivo and in vitro. GDF-15 protected against LPS-triggered AECs damage and ALI via upregulating SIRT1, and GDF-15 might be a valuable therapeutic candidate for treating ALI. (C) 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.