The second objective is to find an association between polymorphisms G8002A and -3A/4A EDN-1 with diabetes mellitus (DM), peripheral artery disease (PAD) and myocardial infarction (MI) in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF).
The pathway by which the high-glucose environment of diabetes mediates increased levels of endothelins has not been completely elucidated but appears to involve endothelin-converting enzyme (ECE-1), which converts inactive big ET-1 to active ET-1 peptide.
Excessive stimulation of ET-1 production by, and activity in, MC is likely of pathogenic importance in glomerular damage in the setting of diabetes, hypertension, and glomerulonephritis.
Circulating and vascular endothelin-1 (ET-1) levels are elevated in diabetes, but the molecular components of the enzymatic activation of ET-1 in the vasculature remains unknown.
Mean plasma ET-1 levels in diabetic patients with a family history of diabetes was found to be higher than patients with no family history of diabetes.