NOS3 and diabetes mellitus: Based on the prior reports, we further assumed that the changes of EPCs in the three groups might be related to the alteration of NO, VEGF, GM-CSF level in plasma or secretion by circulating EPCs, and downregulation of Tie2/Akt/eNOS signaling pathway in circulating EPCs might be also responsible for decreased EPCs functional activity in premenopausal prehypertensive women with diabetes.