Objective To analyze the changes of renal parenchyma shear wave velocity (SWA) and plasma level of transforming growth factor-β1(TGF-β1) in patients with diabetic nephropathy (DN) and discuss their correlations. Method Totally 90 patients with type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM) were enrolled and divided into 3 groups according to the albumin creatinine ratio (ACR): Group A (pre-nephropathy stage: ACR＜30mg/g, n=30), Group B (microalbuminuria: 30mg/g≤ACR≤300mg/g, n=30) and Group C (clinical albuminuria: ACR＞300mg/g, n=30). Meanwhile, 30 healthy people accepted heath examination in contemporaneity were included and marked as Group D. Virtual touch quantification (VTQ) technique and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were performed in each group to access the SWA and plasma level of TGF-β1 respectively. Result Patients with DN had higher SWA and plasma level of TGF-β1 compared with Group D. Of those patients with DN, as the ACR increased, SWV elevated (Group C＞Group B＞Group A, P＜0.05). The difference of plasma level of TGF β1 between Group A and Group C was statistically significant (P＜0.05), while there was no statistical difference between Group A and Group B. Renal parenchyma SWA and plasma level of TGF-β1 were positively correlated (r = 0.624, P＜0.05). Conclusion Both SWA and plasma level of TGF-β1 increased as the DN progressed. The SWA and plasma level of TGF-β1 may be the preferred examination methods for the diagnosis and treatment of DN.