Researcher wins award from American Diabetes A...( tients lose or see reduced their abil...),Health

tients lose, or see reduced, their ability to effectively process sugar consumed as food. They develop high blood sugar because the body does not produce (type 1 diabetes) or produces too little (type 2 diabetes) insulin, the enzyme that takes sugar from blood and carries it into the cells where it can be used to produce energy. Diabetes can change the chemical makeup of substances found in the blood, which can cause blood vessels to narrow or to clog completely. This process is called atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries, and diabetes seems to speed it up.

Jin's lab is focused on the role of oxidative stress in the development of atherosclerosis in patients with Type 2 diabetes. High blood glucose can stimulate the production of highly reactive molecules called free radicals from cells in blood and in blood vessel walls. Oxidative stress occurs when those free radicals overwhelm the antioxidant defence system in cells and cause unwanted reactions with sensitive molecules (e.g. DNA). Beyond the direct cellular damage, oxidative stress also reduces the bioavailability of nitric oxide (NO). NO signals muscle within blood vessels to relax, widening the artery and increasing blood flow. Less NO means blood vessels are less relaxed and open and more likely to clog. Derived from cells lining blood vessels (vascular endothelial cells), NO is believed to counter atherosclerosis.

High blood glucose in patients with diabetes impairs the performance of NO synthases (NOS), the enzymes that generate NO in response to blood flow, according to theory. Jin hopes to soon understand the molecular mechanisms behind this process on the way to creating new drugs that release more nitric oxide when needed to prevent cardiovascular disease in patients with diabetes.

"Diabetes is on the rise in the United States, yet the available funding for research hasn't increased at the same pace," said Don Wagner, chair of the American Diabetes Association Research
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Contact: Greg Williams
Greg_Williams@urmc.rochester.edu
University of Rochester Medical Center
4-May-2006

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