However, the results of the present study indicated an inhibited activation of Notch1 and an increase in the expression levels of PTEN following treatment with tanshinone IIA (tanshinone IIA has no synergistic effect on Notch 1 inhibitor, the data are shown in Figures 9, 10, 11, 12), which further decreased the activity of the AKT/mTOR pathway, thus promoting autophagy (with autophagy inhibitor, which was an mTOR agonist, intervening, tanshinone IIA's treatment effects disappeared, the data are shown in Figures 9, 10, 11, 12) and improving renal fibrosis. This evidence concerns the gene NOTCH1 and renal fibrosis.