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

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is one of the major epidemic disorders of the current century [1,2]. It is a group of metabolic disorders leading to defects in insulin secretion and action of insulin or both. Diabetes is influenced by a combination of both hereditary and environmental factors [3]. In the human body, blood glucose levels are controlled by a complex interaction of multiple chemicals and hormones, including insulin and glucagon. Insulin is one of the important peptide hormones produced from the beta cells of the pancreas that allows blood glucose to enter various cells of the body where it is oxidized to yield energy needed by the muscles and tissues to function [4]. Glucagon is also a peptide hormone, secreted from the alpha cells of the pancreas, which causes a rise in the blood glucose concentration. The effect of glucagon is opposite to that of insulin, which lowers the blood glucose concentration.