Role of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and its receptor (RAGE)-mediated diabetic vascular complications

Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is one of the major health problems of the current century. It is associated with accelerating advanced glycation end products (AGEs) formation and accumulation in the circulating blood and various tissues. AGEs, also accelerate the expression of its receptor i.e. receptor for AGEs (RAGE) and plays a pivotal role in the development and progression of diabetic vascular complications through various mechanisms. Hyperglycemia mediated reactive oxygen species generation can induce oxidative stress through four major mechanisms including the polyol pathway, AGEs formation, activation of protein kinase c isoforms and the hexosamine pathway. Therapeutic interventions may improve the clinical course of patients having diabetes and its associated vascular complications by reducing the AGEs levels. This review summarizes the recent update on the role of AGE-RAGE mediated mechanisms in the development of diabetic vascular complications. neuropathy, retinopathy and nephropathy were observed. The characteristic macrovascular complications include cardiovascular diseases. Patients with diabetes are at two to four times increased risk of coronary heart disease, cardiovascular disease and related deaths than those in the general population. Patients with diabetes are at four times