HMOX1 and hepatocellular carcinoma: For example, apigenin and luteolin at low concentrations (6.25 μM) exert stimulatory effects on the Nrf2/ARE pathway in human hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 cells, significantly increasing the mRNA and protein expression of Nrf2 and heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) with the activation of phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt) and ERK1/2 signaling [65].