Cellular and molecular abnormalities in the vascular endothelium of diabetes mellitus.

Diabetic vascular complications affect both micro- and macrovasculature, primarily in the retina, renal glomeruli, and multiple sites in the macrovessels. This review presents a summary of the abnormal function found in vivo and in cultured vascular cells exposed to elevated levels of glucose. We also discuss the various biochemical hypotheses that have been proposed to explain the adverse effects of hyperglycemia on vascular cells.