RhoA/Rho kinase: a novel therapeutic target in diabetic complications

Abstract

Objective: To reveal the roles of Rho kinase (ROCK) in the mechanisms of complications in diabetes by reviewing the correlations between ROCK and related complications in diabetes.

Data sources: The data used in the present article were mainly from PubMed with relevant English articles published from 1998 to 2010. The search terms were "ROCK" and "diabetes".

Study selection: Original articles including the roles of ROCK or its inhibitors in diabetic complications and review articles about the biological character of ROCK were selected.

Results: The activity and expression of ROCK were up-regulated in the models of type 1 or type 2 diabetes animals and the cultured cells with concentrations of high glucose, ROCK activation was associated with the development or progression of complications in diabetes. Inhibition of RhoA/ROCK pathway prevented or ameliorated the pathologic changes of diabetic complications, and ROCK has been regarded as a key target for treatment of these complications.

Conclusion: RhoA/ROCK signaling plays important roles in the pathogenesis of long-term complications in diabetes and ROCK inhibitors are becoming a promising solution to treatments of complications in diabetes.