Enzyme explains angina in diabetics

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 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, myocardial infarction or stroke, and possible amputation. Atherosclerosis is more common in people who smoke and who have high levels of blood lipids, although the risk is most pronounced in patients with diabetes. The reason for this correlation between diabetes and cardiovascular disease has largely eluded scientists and there is still no specific treatment for these complications.