Upstream, upregulation of oxidative stress related transcription factors Nrf2, p65 NF-kB and p38 MAPK led to downstream activation of an immunoregulatory response with an increase in IFN-γ content and iNOS expression, a cascade which culminated in the endpoints of accelerated renal fibrosis and atherosclerotic lesion formation within the aortic sinus in the long term. This evidence concerns the gene NFE2L2 and renal fibrosis.