SMAD2 and fibrosis: Thus, malonate-treated mice showed a reduced area of scarring after myocardial infarction, an effect associated with significant decreases in interstitial and perivascular fibrosis in distant areas, improvements in left ventricular function, as assessed by echocardiography, and attenuated enhancements in expression of the fibrotic markers NF-κB and Smad2/3 in the remote myocardium.