NFE2L2 and diabetic kidney disease: Nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 (Nrf2), a master regulator of oxidative stress and a potential drug target for diabetic nephropathy (Pergola et al., 2011; Li et al., 2012), has an inhibitory effect on the EMT process via interaction with heme oxygenase-1 (Shin et al., 2010).