Targeting oxidative stress and anti-oxidant defence in diabetic kidney disease.

There is an unmet need for new strategies to prevent or postpone the development of diabetic kidney disease. The pathophysiology of this condition includes as a central mechanism an imbalance between the excessive production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and inadequate anti-oxidant defense. Reduction of ROS is therefore an interesting therapeutic target that warrants further investigation. Herein, we review the drivers of oxidative stress in diabetic kidney disease including NADPH oxidases, mitochondrial ROS production, xanthine oxidase, cytochrome P450, uncoupled eNOS and lipoxygenase. Secondly, the role of anti-oxidative mechanisms in diabetic kidney disease is discussed including the role of the kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1- nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2, lipoxin, oral anti-oxidants and glutathione peroxidase-1. We will also review data supporting the concept that the beneficial renal effects of anti-diabetic drugs that target the glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor and the sodium glucose transporter 2 are, at least in part, due to their impact on oxidative stress in diabetic kidney disease. In the present article we critically evaluate both preclinical studies with cell culture experiments and animal models of diabetic kidney disease as well as covering the current findings from clinical studies addressing targeted interventions towards these pathways.

Metabolic Karma-The Atherogenic Legacy of Diabetes: The 2017 Edwin Bierman Award Lecture.

Cardiovascular disease, despite all the recent advances in treatment of the various risk factors, remains the major cause of mortality in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Experimental models of diabetes-associated atherosclerosis, despite their limitations in recapitulating the human context, have assisted in the elucidation of molecular and cellular pathways implicated in the development and progression of macrovascular injury in diabetes. Our own studies have emphasized the role of oxidative stress and advanced glycation and identified potential targets for vasoprotective therapies in the setting of diabetes. Furthermore, it has been clearly shown that previous episodes of hyperglycemia play a key role in promoting end-organ injury in diabetes, as shown in clinical trials such as the UK Prospective Diabetes Study (UKPDS), Action in Diabetes and Vascular Disease: Preterax and Diamicron MR Controlled Evaluation Observational Study (ADVANCE-ON), and the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial/ Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications (DCCT/EDIC). The cause of this phenomenon, known as metabolic memory, remains to be elucidated, but it appears that epigenetic pathways, including glucose-induced histone methylation, play a central role. Further delineation of these pathways and their link to not only glucose but also other factors implicated in vascular injury should lead to more rational, potentially more effective therapies to retard diabetes-associated cardiovascular disease.

Advanced glycation end products and vascular structure and function.

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.