A team of UC Davis Health scientists and physicians has identified a cellular connection between diabetes and one of its major complications — blood vessel narrowing that increases risks of several serious health conditions, including heart disease and stroke.
A team of UC Davis Health scientists and physicians has identified a cellular connection between diabetes and one of its major complications — blood vessel narrowing that increases risks of several serious health conditions, including heart disease and stroke.
The authors hope their work leads to diabetes treatments — beyond blood sugar monitoring and insulin therapy — that target the molecular source of its damaging effects on the vascular system.
The same team previously found that high blood glucose, the hallmark symptom of diabetes, activates an enzyme known as protein kinase A (PKA), which increases calcium channel activity and constricts blood vessels.
“This was a surprise, since PKA is typically associated with blood vessel widening and wasn’t really on our radar,” said senior author Manuel Navedo, professor of pharmacology at UC Davis Health. “We wanted to understand the molecular processes that created this opposite reaction.”
Read more at UC Davis Medical Center
