HMOX1 and inflammatory bowel disease: In studies involving murine colitis models, the activation of Nrf2 improved epithelial integrity and reduced IBD severity by upregulating antioxidant enzymes such as NAD(P)H quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1), heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), and glutathione S-transferase (GST) [22].