The impact of rosiglitazone on nitric oxide bioavailability and endothelial function
Issue title: Selected Proceedings of the 15th Conference of the European Society for Clinical Hemorheology and Microcirculation (ESCHM), June 28–July 1, 2009, Pontresina, Switzerland
Affiliations: From the Division of Cardiology, Mount Sinai and University Health Network Hospitals, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada | Department of Cardiology, University Medical Center of Mainz, Mainz, Germany
Note: [] These authors equally contributed to the study.
Note: [] Corresponding author: Tommaso Gori, MD, PhD, Department of Cardiology, University Medical Center of Mainz, Langenbeckstr. 1, 55131 Mainz, Germany. E-mail: Tommaso.gori@ukmainz.de These authors equally contributed to the study.
Abstract: Clinical studies have demonstrated that rosiglitazone can improve vascular function in patients with diabetes mellitus. It remains unclear whether this effect depends on a direct improvement in endothelial function or whether it is mediated by the drug’s effect on glycemic control. Yet, rosiglitazone has been linked to serious cardiovascular events. A number of studies recently investigated whether rosiglitazone affects endothelial function in healthy volunteers and patients with cardiovascular disease. Controversial observations have been reported; the observation that rosiglitazone might in certain cases impair endothelial function may suggest a mechanistic explanation for the observation of increased cardiovascular events in patients treated with rosiglitazone who have underlying cardiovascular disease. These studies are summarized and discussed in the present paper.
