Immunohistochemistry, western blot, and real-time PCR also showed that restored renal Smad7 blocked AA-induced severe renal fibrosis such as upregulation of collagen I and α-SMA and inhibited renal inflammation including F4/80+ macrophages and CD3+ T cells and upregulation of MCP-1 and TNFα (Fig. 5 and Figs. S4 and S5). This evidence concerns the gene SMAD7 and renal fibrosis.