Role of Nitric Oxide in Insulin Secretion and Glucose Metabolism
Zahra Bahadoran Trends in Endocrinology & Metabolism Volume 31, Issue 2, February 2020, Pages 118-130
Highlights
NO is involved in carbohydrate metabolism and disrupted NO pathways (i.e., decreased cNOS-derived NO bioavailability or iNOS-induced overproduction of NO) leads to the development of T2DM.
cNOS-derived NO improves insulin secretion and signaling, increases glucose uptake, and regulates hepatic glucose output. These physiological effects of NO are mainly mediated by the sGC–cGMP pathway.
Cytokine-induced overactivity of iNOS leading to pathological levels of NO (micromolar) disturbs glucose and insulin homeostasis.
NO-releasing drugs can restore disrupted NO signaling and improve carbohydrate metabolism in insulin resistance and T2DM.
The clinical implications of NO donors encapsulated with common hypoglycemic agents like metformin might be considered as a future treatment for T2DM.
Nitric oxide (NO) contributes to carbohydrate metabolism and decreased NO bioavailability is involved in the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). NO donors may improve insulin signaling and glucose homeostasis in T2DM and insulin resistance (IR), suggesting the potential clinical importance of NO-based interventions. In this review, site-specific roles of the NO synthase (NOS)–NO pathway in carbohydrate metabolism are discussed. In addition, the metabolic effects of physiological low levels of NO produced by constitutive NOS (cNOS) versus pathological high levels of NO produced by inducible NOS (iNOS) in pancreatic β-cells, adipocytes, hepatocytes, and skeletal muscle cells are summarized. A better understanding of the NOS–NO system in the regulation of glucose homeostasis can hopefully facilitate the development of new treatments for T2DM.