Abstract:
Diabetes is known to induce a range of micro-and macrovascular compliacations with the latter resutling in premature and accelerated atherosclerosis. Thus people with diabetes have a 2-4 fold increased risk of developing cardiovascular diseases which is responsible for ca. 50% of deaths amongst people with diabetes. The mechanisms behind this elevated risk are still not fully understood, though there is now increasing evidence for a role of glycation and clycoxidation reactions induced by hyperglycemia. This article reviews current knowledge of the role that these reactions play in diabetes-induced atherosclerosis with particular emphasis on the molecular reactions that result in the modification of lipoproteins, and the consequences of these reactions on cellular metabolism.
