Fig. 1

The impaired NO pathway in type 2 diabetes. Several mechanisms have been proposed for impaired NO pathway in diabetic condition 1) Chronic hyperglycemia, increased oxidative stress, NF-κB activation, and accumulation of AGEs 2) Increased plasma levels of ADMA, an endogenous competitive inhibitor of NO synthase 3) Decreased NOS activity and production of NO from L-arginine, increased arginase activity, decreased L-arginine bioavailability and NO synthesis via NOS 4) Impaired insulin secretion and insulin resistance. NO; Nitric oxide, NOS; Nitric oxide synthase, ADMA; Asymmetric dimethylarginine, NF-κB; Nuclear factor κB, AGEs; advanced glycation end products