Figure 2. A schematic summary based on the existing literature and the findings of the present study. Type 1 diabetes impairs skeletal muscle capillarization and/or angiogenesis by reducing the mRNA concentration of pro-angiogenic factors and increasing the expression of antiangiogenic factors. Exercise training induces opposite effect on pro-angiogenic factors, which in the present experimental model did not completely compensate the diabetes-induced changes. Effects of exercise training on antiangiogenic factors have not been studied earlier and in the present experiment it could not reverse the increased expression in diabetic muscles (dashed line). In the figure, increased expression or activation is marked with + and decreased expression or inhibition with –.