HMOX1 and acute kidney injury: HO-1, an inducible isozyme, is activated by heme, oxidants, cytokines, glycated albumin, and other stressors, and may be part of the protective response in many diseases [12,32], including acute lung injury [53], lipopolysaccharide-induced acute liver failure [54], neurodegenerative disorders [55], and AKI [16–18].