A Series of Pilot Studies to Evaluate the haemoDynamic and mEtabolic Effects oF apelIn aNd rElaxin

Type two diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a common, long term metabolic disorder characterised by hyperglycaemia (high blood glucose) resulting from insulin resistance and relative insulin insufficiency. The risk of developing insulin resistance and subsequently T2DM is increased by being overweight and also through a sedentary lifestyle. As the onset can be gradual, physiological damage may have occurred prior to diagnosis. Diabetes is associated with the development of microvascular complications (diabetic nephropathy, neuropathy, and retinopathy), and macrovascular complications (coronary artery disease, peripheral arterial disease, and stroke). While there are many treatments available for T2DM, these complications may still arise, leading to significant morbidity and mortality. There is therefore an urgent need to identify novel signalling pathways that may contribute to the development of diabetes related complications. The identification of these pathways may ultimately lead to the development of new therapies targeting better blood glucose control and preventing these subsequent complications. Both animal and human studies have indicated that two endogenous peptides, apelin and relaxin both act as vasodilators in the human cardiovascular system and could also have beneficial action in T2DM. Therefore, we aim to carry out experimental medicine studies to test this hypothesis, and explore the signalling pathway in the human vascular system.