ACTA2 and Hepatic fibrosis: To investigate whether relaxin inhibits hepatic fibrosis by interfering with the TGF-β1/Smad2 signaling pathway, we performed western blot analysis to examine the expression of TGF-β1, phosphorylated Smad2 ([pSmad2], the activated form of Smad2), α-smooth muscle actin ([α-SMA], a myofibroblast marker, encoded by ACTA2), and type I collagen ([Col1], a major ECM protein) in liver fibrosis model mice across different treatment groups.53