title: Advanced glycation end products and vascular structure and function.
abstract: Diabetes mellitus has now reached epidemic proportions in the Western world. The associated microvascular and macrovascular complications are a result of severe metabolic derangement, which leads to chronic tissue injury. Although there are a number of proposed pathophysiologic mechanisms for the vascular complications associated with diabetes, this review focuses predominantly on the role of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) in the pathogenesis of diabetes-associated atherosclerosis. The potential role of AGEs in enhancing arterial stiffness, an entity occurring with a greater prevalence in populations known to have higher-than-normal AGE levels, is also examined. Pharmacologic interventions aimed at reducing the level of these chemical compounds or interrupting their action provide hope for the future treatment of both atherosclerotic vascular disease and systolic hypertension, particularly in the setting of diabetes.
authors.affiliation: Baker Medical Research Institute, Melbourne, Victoria 8008, Australia. Georgia.Soldatos@baker.edu.au
authors.forename: Georgia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Soldatos
authors.forename: Mark Emmanuel
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Cooper
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / Q000503:physiopathology; D003925:Diabetic Angiopathies / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000503:physiopathology*; D017127:Glycation End Products, Advanced / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000502:physiology; D000067759:Receptor for Advanced Glycation End Products / Q000502:physiology*; D013844:Thiazoles / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: C000593871:AGER protein, human; D017127:Glycation End Products, Advanced; D000067759:Receptor for Advanced Glycation End Products; D013844:Thiazoles; C406794:alagebrium