Ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI) is an acute lung injury that develops during mechanical ventilation with high tidal volume in patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). VILI is a common entity with an unacceptable mortality rate (~20%). As no current therapies exist for VILI, novel therapeutic targets for VILI and mechanical stress-induced tissue injury are needed. In this study, we defined Nrf2 signaling in VILI and mechanical stress-induced endothelial cell pathobiology. Nrf2 is a transcription factor that alters ROS balance and is a novel therapeutic target for VILI. First, we defined Nrf2 as a sensory marker for mechanical stress-induced endothelial cell injury. Antioxidant response element (ARE) luciferase plasmids were transfected to both endothelial cells and murine lung tissues. EC exposed to 18% cyclic stretch (18% CS) or mice exposed to excessive tidal volume ventilation (40 ml/kg) resulted in ARE activation, site of Nrf2 binding. We next confirmed Nrf2 signaling is essential for gene expression dysregulation by 18% CS via Nrf2 knockdown that significantly ameliorates 18% CS-induced gene expression pattern, including signaling pathways regulating endothelial barrier function including MYLK. Finally, we validated that Nrf2 is a novel and effective therapeutic target for VILI in pre-clinical models of VILI. Nrf2 activator sulforaphane (SF, 11.5 mg/kg) significantly attenuated VILI (40 ml/kg, 4 hrs)-induced lung inflammation, including BAL protein leakage and white blood cell infiltration. These novel findings characterized Nrf2 as a sensor for mechanical stress, a central mediator of mechanical stress induced gene expression dysregulation, and a novel therapeutic target for VILI.