[The role of AGEs and ROS in atherosclerosis]

Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are among the "newcomers" of metabolic research during the last 2-3 decades. Also known as Maillard products, they have belonged to the everyday life of food research for a long time, but their role in the development of diabetes and cardiovascular complications has been suggested only recently. Even though multiple studies have recently dealt with the role of AGEs and their receptors in mediating pathomechanisms, we are still far from understanding them completely and maybe even farther from developing effective therapeutic approaches. Nevertheless, the present article attempts to offer an overview of known associations between AGEs and vascular complications, in order to draw attention to a less known subject--the AGEs--and, maybe, to stimulate further research in this very exciting field.