Mitochondrial dysfunction and complications associated with diabetes

Abstract

Background Diabetes is a metabolic syndrome that results in chronically increased blood glucose (hyperglycaemia) due to defects either in insulin secretion consequent to the loss of beta cells in the pancreas (type 1) or to loss of insulin sensitivity in target organs in the presence of normal insulin secretion (type 2). Long term hyperglycaemia can lead to a number of serious health-threatening pathologies, or complications, especially in the kidney, heart, retina and peripheral nervous system. Scope of review Here we summarise the current literature on the role of the mitochondria in complications associated with diabetes, and the limitations and potential of rodent models to explore new m..