The roles of annexins in vascular endothelium dysfunction accompanying diabetes mellitus type 2

Abstract

Impairment in cellular transport, distribution and storage of cholesterol accompanies insulin resistance and diabetes mellitus type 2 as well as other diseases such as obesity, atherosclerosis, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Diabetes mellitus type 2 is a metabolic disorder that is characterized by hyperglycemia in the context of insulin resistance and relative lack of insulin. Type 2 diabetes makes up about 90% of cases of diabetes. Several therapeutic strategies are today being considered to target diabetes mellitus type 2, and the accompanying endothelial dysfunction, but none as yet has proved satisfactory. Accumulating data suggest that annexins, as cholesterol binding proteins that participate in intracellular transport and storage of cholesterol and in the organization of plasma membrane, may participate in development and sustenance of diabetes mellitus type 2 and may serve as predictive markers of this disease.