EDN1 and endothelial dysfunction: Impaired insulin signaling in BECs diminishes AKT-dependent NO production and simultaneously increases Endothelin 1 (ET-1) activity, which leads to endothelial dysfunction (Mather et al., 2002; Federici et al., 2004; Okon et al., 2005; Shemyakin et al., 2006; Muniyappa and Sowers, 2013).