NO transport characteristics in microcirculation and its implications in the assessment of microvascular dysfunction in type 2 diabetes mellitus

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder syndrome caused by various pathogenic factors leading to imbalance of active substance secretion and endothelial dysfunction, causing macro and micro vascular complications. As the most important signal transduction molecule released by endothelium, NO participates in various physiological processes of microcirculation and plays an important role in vascular relaxation regulation. Extensive studies focus on the investigation of the analysis of NO transport in microvessels, RBC motion and its influence on NO transport since they are of extremely importance for understanding the mechanisms of vessel autoregulation and microcirculation lesion. NO transport characteristics are closely associated with hemorheology, hemodynamics and microvascular structure. Nevertheless, up to date, there are limited reports on NO transport characteristics in diabetic mellitus. The purpose of this review is to summarize the current advances in the investigation of NO transport characteristics from cellular to vascular level, which can provide effective ideas for the early diagnosis of vascular complications in diabetes.