SQSTM1 and diabetes mellitus: Given the coexistence of elevated oxidative stress, increased protein and lipid oxidation, and impaired cellular energy balance in diabetes, functional autophagy may be of greater importance in maintaining cardiac cell integrity in diabetes.17 Based on aforementioned findings, it is apparent that there exits an interconnected loop linking Nrf2, Keap1 and p62 in vivo, which functions collectively to maintain homeostasis during oxidative stress or other injury stresses.