TGFB1 and liver dysplastic nodule: Previous studies suggested that icariin could be beneficial to the prevention of DN due to its ability to reduce serum creatinine (Cr), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), TGF-β1 protein expression in STZ-induced diabetic rats (Qi et al., 2011), and block TGF-β1-Smads pathway of mesangial cells induced by high glucose, which is beneficial to the prevention of DN (Li et al., 2013).