SMAD3 and type 2 diabetes mellitus: As predicted, the upregulation of TGF-β1 and p-SMAD3 was observed in the CCl4-injured type 2 diabetic rats, while the expression of TGF-β1 and p-SMAD3 was blocked after ADSC transplantation, suggesting that ADSC transplantation effectively inhibits TGF-β1/SMAD3 signaling in the fibrotic liver tissues.