SMAD3 and renal fibrosis: Inhibition of ferroptosis to alleviate renal fibrosis: Studies indicate that targeting ferroptosis specifically with certain inhibitors can mitigate kidney damage and renal fibrosis: (1) In a 5/6 nephrectomy-induced CKD rat model, deferoxamine alleviates kidney injury and fibrosis by regulating iron metabolism and the TGF-β1/Smad3 pathway (199).