Targeted Pharmacological Heme-Oxygenase-1 Induction as a Therapy for Diabetes-Juniper Publishers
JUNIPER PUBLISHERS - OPEN ACCESS JOURNAL OF CARDIOLOGY & CARDIOVASCULAR THERAPY Abstract Diabetes has emerged as a major threat to health worldwide. The exact mechanisms underlying the disease are unknown; however, there is growing evidence that excess generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), causes oxidative stress in various organs. In diabetic patients, oxidative stress is closely associated with chronic inflammation and plays a key role in the pathogenesis of micro-and macrovascular diabetic complications. Redox reactions associated with carbon monoxide (CO) metabolism play key roles in intra- and inter-cellular signaling. Cells produce significant amounts of CO as a product of cellular metabolism, largely from heme degradation catalyzed by microsomal heme oxygenases (HOs) generating CO, biliverdin, bilirubin and iron. This review focuses on the importance of both HO-1/CO system in the pathophysiology and therapy of inflammation associated with diabetes. Rese