HMOX1 and renal fibrosis: And the activation of Nrf2/ARE pathway can promote the expression of a range of downstream antioxidant enzymes, including heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) and superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD-1), thereby reducing ROS level and resisting the renal fibrosis injury induced by oxidative stress (Ahmed et al., 2017).