TGFB1 and renal fibrosis: Moreover, our previous study found that Cx43 could inhibit the up-regulation of fibrosis-related proteins such as FN and transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-β1) in HG-treated GMCs via the Nrf2 pathway, as well as exert anti-oxidative stress effects in the kidney tissues of diabetic mice to alleviate renal fibrosis (Chen et al., 2017).