Abstract
Background - An endogenous inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase, asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), is elevated in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). This study explored the mechanisms by which ADMA becomes elevated in DM. Methods and Results - Male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed normal chow or high-fat diet (n=5 in each) with moderate streptozotocin injection to induce type 2 DM. Plasma ADMA was elevated in diabetic rats (1.33 ± 0.31 versus 0.48 ± 0.08 μmol/L; P<0.05). The activity, but not the expression, of dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase (DDAH) was reduced in diabetic rats and negatively correlated with their plasma ADMA levels (P<0.05). DDAH activity was significantly reduced in vascular smooth muscle cells and human endothelial cells (HMEC-1) exposed to high glucose (25.5 mmol/L). The impairment of DDAH activity in vascular cells was associated with an accumulation of ADMA and a reduction in generation of cGMP. In human endothelial cells, coincubation with the antioxidant polyethylene glycol- conjugated superoxide dismutase (22 U/mL) reversed the effects of the high-glucose condition on DDAH activity, ADMA accumulation, and cGMP synthesis. Conclusions - A glucose-induced impairment of DDAH causes ADMA accumulation and may contribute to endothelial vasodilator dysfunction in DM.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 987-992 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Circulation |
Volume | 106 |
Issue number | 8 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Aug 20 2002 |
Keywords
- Endothelium
- Nitric oxide
- Oxidative stress
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Physiology
- Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine