What is endothelial dependent relaxation?
Endothelium-dependent relaxation occurs in resistance vessels as well as in larger arteries, and is generally more pronounced in arteries than veins. EDRF also inhibits platelet aggregation and adhesion to the blood vessel wall.
What is endothelium-dependent?
Endothelium-Dependent Vasodilators The concept that the endothelium controls vascular tone in a paracrine fashion (i.e., by secreting diffusible soluble mediators able to act on physically contiguous cells, in this case smooth muscle) was extremely innovative and relevant to vascular physiology.
What does endothelium-dependent vasodilation mean?
An increase in blood flow stimulates endothelium-dependent vasodilation by increasing shear stress on the endothelium, both in conduit and resistance vessels.
What is endothelium-dependent hyperpolarization?
Endothelium-dependent hyperpolarizing factor (EDHF) is a powerful vasodilator influence in small resistance arteries and thus an important modulator of blood pressure and flow. As the name suggests, EDHF was thought to describe a diffusible factor stimulating smooth muscle hyperpolarization (and thus vasodilatation).
Which is an endothelium dependent vasodilator of smooth muscle?
Nitric oxide (NO) is an endothelium-dependent vasodilator of the underlying smooth muscle and was first identified by Furchgott and Zawadzki [14]. NO has been shown to play an important role in the maintenance of basal vasodilator tone of the blood vessels [15].
How is the endothelium related to atherosclerosis?
Disruption of vascular homeostasis can lead to the development of endothelial dysfunction which in turn contributes to the early and late stages of atherosclerosis. In recent years an increasing number of non-invasive vascular tests have been developed to assess vascular structure and function in different clinical populations.
What happens to vasoactive factors in the endothelium?
The balanced production of these vasoactive factors is atheroprotective, whereas a damaged endothelium causes disrupted production of these factors. The ensuing imbalance leads to endothelial dysfunction (ED), which is an early indicator of atherosclerosis [2].
Where are endothelial cells located in the vasculature?
Endothelial cells are located on the intima – which is the inner lining of the vasculature and they control vascular function by responding to various hormones, neurotransmitters and vasoactive factors which affect vasomotion, thrombosis, platelet aggregation and inflammation [1].