Oxidative Stress in Cardiovascular Complications of Diabetes

The burden of cardiovascular disease related to diabetes will increase substantially in the coming decades. Diabetes, formerly thought as a problem of glucose metabolism, produces most of its harm by effects on the cardiovascular system. Atherosclerosis and other cardiovascular complications account for most of the deaths due to diabetes. Diabetics with cardiovascular complications fare worse than their counterparts. There is convincing experimental and clinical evidence that in diabetics the oxidative stress is increased. There are various mechanisms that contribute to the formation of free radicals and cause oxidative stress. Less certain however, is whether oxidative stress causes the development of long-term complications of diabetes or merely reflects one of the associated processes that are affected by diabetes. The precise mechanisms by which oxidative stress accelerates complications of diabetes are only partly known. There is, however, evidence for the role of protein kinase C, advanced glycation end products and activation of certain transcription factors.