Enzyme explains angina in diabetics [PRESS RELEASE, 27 November
2012] In a new study published in the scientific journal
Circulation, scientists at Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska
University Hospital show that an enzyme called arginase might
have a key part to play in the development of cardiovascular
disease in patients who already have type II diabetes. According
to the team, arginase prevents the formation of protective
nitrogen oxide in the blood vessels, and treatments that inhibit
this enzyme reduce the risk of angina in diabetics. "The fact
that we could demonstrate the presence of arginase in several
types of cell in the vessel wall gives us an entirely new
explanatory model for the development of complications in these
patients," says lead investigator Professor John Pernow.
Complications in diabetes patients result from constrictions of
the blood vessels caused by plaque deposits on the vessel walls
(atherosclerosis). The ensuing reduction in blood flow and
oxygen supply can lead to angina, myo