HMOX1 and central nervous system cancer: In literature, C6 glioma cells after exposure to diesel exhaust particles were found to activate anti-oxidant pathways to contrast the oxidative status induced by DEP treatment [15,19,20] involving MEK and ERK1/2, and resulting in Nrf2 activation, thus causing an increase in antioxidant enzymes such as HO-1 and UCP2.