Influence of diabetes on cardiac nitric oxide synthase expression and activity

There is some evidence that the endothelium dependent vasodilatation of coronary arteries is impaired in both types of diabetes. The underlying mechanisms are not yet clear, in particular whether this defect is caused by a direct effect of diabetes on the activity and the expression of nitric oxide synthases (NOS) or indirectly by an enhanced inactivation of nitric oxide. Methods: To study this question we determined the activity (conversion of...