CCL2 and renal fibrosis: A study conducted by Wang et al., in 2021 demonstrated that in a renal fibrosis model induced by UUO, puerarin effectively inhibits the expression of inflammatory factors interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), reduces ECM deposition, alleviates inflammatory and fibrotic reactions, and ultimately improves renal function by regulating the NF-κB p65/STAT3 and TGF-β1/Smads signaling pathways (Wang et al., 2021).