How vascular NAD(P)H oxidase activity and nox isoform expression are regulated.

It is well known that endothelial dysfunction is a systemic disorder and a key variable in the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis and its complications.1 Most risk factors that are related to atherosclerosis and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, including hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, cigarette smoking, and diabetes mellitus, are found to be associated with endothelial dysfunction. Some studies have shown that the risk for developing endothelial dysfunction increases with the number of risk factors present in an individual. Endothelial dysfunction is not confined to the coronary arteries but rather represents a systemic disorder that also affects peripheral vascular beds, including both conduit arteries and small resistance vessels in the extremities. Therefore, a uniform underlying mechanism(s) is suggested to account for the impaired endothelial function.