NFE2L2 and diabetes mellitus: At the same time, the expression levels of the nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), involved in the cellular antioxidant defence system, and the levels of sirtuin1 (SIRT-1), a NAD-dependent histone deacetylase that protect against ROS-mediated oxidative damage, are down-regulated in diabetes, worsening the oxidative stress situation in the heart [7,8].