TGFB1 and renal fibrosis: In addition to the canonical TGF-β/Smads pathway, TGF-β1 also induces myofibroblast activation and renal fibrosis through non-Smad signaling pathways, including mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), PI3K-Akt, small GTPase pathways, and etc. [9], [10].