Hyperglycemia induced cell growth and gene expression via the serum response element through RhoA and Rho-kinase in vascular smooth muscle cells.

The impressive correlation between cardiovascular disease and alterations in glucose metabolism has raised the likelihood that atherosclerosis, heart failure, and type 2 diabetes may share common antecedents. Postprandial hyperglycemia has been shown to play an important role on the onset and development of heart failure and cerebral infarction in several large-scale clinical trials. Recently, chronic hyperglycemia has been reported to enhance the vasoconstrictor response by Rho-kinase.

Effects of endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor and nitric oxide on endothelial function in femoral resistance arteries of spontaneously hypertensive rats.

In hypertension, endothelium-dependent relaxation is attenuated and this attenuation contributes to the increased peripheral resistance. However, the role of endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor (EDHF) in the arteries of hypertensive rats remains unclear. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the role of EDHF in the femoral resistance arteries of hypertensive rats.