ACh	acetylcholine
AG	aminoguanidine
AGEs	advanced glycation end products
AKRs	Aldoketo reductases
Akt	PKB = protein kinase B (serine/threonine kinase)
ALDHs	Aldehyde dehydrogenases
AMPK	AMP-activated kinase
Ang II (Ang-2)	angiotensin II
AP	argpyrimidine
apoA1	apolipoprotein A1
apoB100	apolipoprotein B100
ApoE KO	apolipoprotein E knockout
ATF6	activating transcription factor 6
AT2R	angiotensin II receptor type 2
BBGC	bromobenzyl-glutathione cyclopentyl diester (glyoxalase-1 inhibitor)
BMCs	bone marrow cells
CAD	coronary artery disease
CAT	catalase
CEA	N7-carboxyethyl arginine
C/EBP	transcription factor C/EBP
CEdG	N2-carboxyethyl-20–deoxyguanosine
CEL	Nε-(1-carboxyethyl)lysine = N6-(1-carboxyethyl)lysine
C. elegans	Caenorhabditis elegans
CETP	cholesteryl ester transfer protein
CKD	chronic kidney disease
CML	Nε-(1-carboxymethyl)lysine = N6-(1-carboxymethyl)lysine
CTGF	connective tissue growth factor
CHD	coronary heart diseases
CVD	cardiovascular diseases
DAG	diacylglycerol
DJ-1 (PARK7)	Parkinson’s disease protein 7
DKO	double knockout
3-DG	3-deoxyglucosone
3DG-H	3-DG-derived hydroimidazolones
EA.hy926	hybrid human umbilical vein endothelial cell line
ECM	extracellular matrix
eNOS	endothelial nitric oxide synthase
EPCs	endothelial progenitor cells
ER	endoplasmic reticulum
esRAGE	endogenous secretory RAGE proteolytically exfoliated by metalloproteinases
FFAs	free fatty acids
FL	Nε-fructosyl-lysine
FPG	fasting plasma glucose
Fru	fructose
F4/80	EGF-like module-containing mucin-like hormone receptor-like 1
GAPDH	glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase
Glc	glucose
GlcNAc	N-acetylglucosamine
Glo1	Glyoxalase 1
Glo1 KO	Glo1 knockout
Glo2	Glyoxalase 2
GLUT	glucose transporter
GO	glyoxal
GPX	glutathione peroxidase
GSH	reduced glutathione
GSK-3	Glycogen synthase kinase-3
GSSG	oxidized glutathione
HAECs	human aortic endothelial cells
HbA1c	hemoglobin A1c
HEK293	human embryonic kidney cells
HIF	hypoxia-inducible factor
HoxA5	homeobox A5 transcription factor
HO-1	heme oxygenase 1
HSPG	heparan sulfate proteoglycan
HUVECs	human umbilical cord vein endothelial cells
ICAM-1	intercellular adhesion molecule 1
IFN-γ	interferon gamma
IL-6	interleukin 6
IL-8	interleukin 8
IL-1β	interleukin-1 β
IR	insulin receptor
IRE1	inositol-requiring enzyme-1
IRS-1	insulin receptor substrate 1
KATP channel	ATP-sensitive potassium channel
KRAS	GTPase Kirsten Rat Sarcoma Viral Oncogene Homolog
LCAT	lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase
Mac-1	macrophage-1 antigen
Mac-2	macrophage-2 antigen
MAECs	mouse aortic endothelial cells
MafA	musculoaponeurotic fibrosarcoma oncogene family A
MAGEs	MGO-derived AGEs
MCP-1	monocyte chemoattractant peptide-1
MDA	malondialdehyde
MG-dG	3-(20–deoxyribosyl)-6,7-dihydro-6,7-dihydroxy-6/7-methylimidazo-[2,3-b]purin-9(8)one
MG-H1-3	MGO-derived hydroimidazolones 1-3
MG-H1	Nδ-(5-hydro-5-methyl-4-imidazolon-2-yl)-ornithine
MG-H2	2-amino-5-(2-amino-5-hydro-5-methyl-4-imidazolon-1-yl)-pentanoic acid
MG-H3	2-amino-5-(2-amino-4-hydro-4-methyl-5-imidazolon-1-yl)-pentanoic acid
MGO	methylglyoxal
MMP-9	matrix metalloproteinase 9
MnSOD	manganese superoxide dismutase
MODIC	2-ammonio-6-((2-[(4-ammonio-5-oxido-5-oxopentyl)amino]-4-methyl-4,5-dihydro-1H-imidazol-5-ylidene)amino)hexanoate
MOLD	1,3-di(Nε-lysino)-4-methyl-imidazolium
mTORC1	mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1
NAC	N-acetyl cysteine
NFATc	Nuclear factor of activated T-cells, cytoplasmic
NO	nitric oxide
NOX	NADPH oxidase
Nrf2	nuclear factor erythroid 2 related factor 2
OGTT	oral glucose tolerance test
p38 MAPK	p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase
PAI-1	plasminogen activator inhibitor 1
PARP	poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase
Pdx1	gene coding for pancreatic duodenal homeobox-1
PDX-1	homeodomain (HD)-containing transcription factor (syn: IPF-1 (insulin promoter factor 1)
PERK	double-stranded RNA-activated protein kinase-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase
PGC1α	transcriptional coactivator PGC1-α
PI3K	phosphatidylinositol (PI) 3-kinase
PKB/Akt	protein kinase B (serine/threonine kinase)
PKC	protein kinase C
p-JNK	phosphorylated c-Jun NH2—terminal kinase
p-p38	phosphorylated p38 kinase
p-ERK	phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase
PHLPP2	PH domain leucine-rich repeat protein phosphatase 2
PON1	paraoxonase 1
PPAR	peroxisome proliferation-activated receptor
RAGE	AGEs receptor
RAAS	renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system
RCS	Reactive carbonyl species
RONS	Reactive oxygen and nitrogen species
sdLDL	small dense low density lipoproteins
SD rats	Sprague Dawley rats
SHR	Spontaneously hypertensive rats
SNP	sodium nitroprusside
SSAO	semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase
STZ	streptozotocin
sICAM-1	soluble intercellular adhesion molecule 1
SOD-(1–3)	superoxide dismutase (1–3)
sPLA2	secreted phospholipase A 2
sRAGE	soluble RAGE produced by alternative splicing
sVCAM-1	soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule 1
TAG	triacylglycerol
TAK1	transforming growth factor-β-activated kinase 1
T1DM	type 1 diabetes
T2DM	type 2 diabetes
TGF-β	transforming growth factor β
THP	tetrahydropyrimidine
TNF-α	tumor necrosis factor α
UCP-2	uncoupling protein 2
UDPGlcNAc	uridine diphosphate N-acetylglucosamine
UPR	unfolded protein response
VCAM-1	vascular cell adhesion molecule 1
VEGF	vascular endothelial growth factor
VEGFR-2	vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2
VSMCs	vascular smooth muscle cells
8-OHdG	8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine
WKY	Wistar Kyoto rats