In addition, the intake of ethanol significantly inhibited the activity and nuclear translocation of the antioxidant element Nrf2 (Figures 5A–D), accompanied by a decrease in its downstream signals levels, such as Nqo1, HO-1, SOD, CAT and GSH (Figures 5E–H), of which the levels of SOD, CAT and GSH were the same as those after OME treatment. Here, HMOX1 is linked to otitis media with effusion.