AGT and diabetic kidney disease: TGF-β1 was reported to be stimulated by hyperglycaemia and glomerular stretch in the early stages of diabetic kidney disease, and persistent production of TGF-β in later stages may be due to stimulation by glycated proteins (e.g., AGEs), the influence of growth factors (angiotensin II (Ang II) and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)), and TGF-β autoinduction [29].