Our study further determined that miR-377-3p inhibited the expression of BMP7, however, circSMAD4 acted as miR-377-3p sponge to relieve the inhibition of miR-377-3p on BMP7, indicating that circSMAD4 promoted the expression of BMP7 by targeting miR-377-3p, thus preventing DN development. Here, BMP7 is linked to liver dysplastic nodule.