NFKB1 and diabetes mellitus: Furthermore, typical metabolic disorders, such as obesity and diabetes, lead to chronically elevated levels of NF-κB pre-activation via hyperglycemia-induced IKKβ overexpression, increased Protein kinase C (PKC) activity, or the formation of advanced glycosylation end products (AGEs) binding to specific receptors, i.e., receptors for advanced glycosylation end products (RAGE) on vascular smooth muscle cells, leading to oxidant stress, i.e., reactive oxygen species (ROS).