ZEB1 and diabetes mellitus: ,158 By increasing ZEB1 expression, ZEB1-AS1 is thought to play an antifibrotic role in DM through modulation of EMT, which is considered to be the main pathogenic factor of renal fibrosis.158, 159, 160 Wang et al., 2018 confirmed this in ZEB1-AS1 knockdown studies, which increased high glucose-induced ECM accumulation by downregulation of ZEB1 expression, resulting in renal fibrosis.161