Endothelial Cells in Culture and Production of Endothelium-Derived Constricting Factors

It is now well established that the vascular endothelium possesses many biological functions in addition to its role in the microvascular transport of material between blood and tissues. Of major importance in the cardiovascular arena is our increasing knowledge of the role that the endothelial cell may play in modulating the reactivity and/or responsiveness of the underlying vascular smooth muscle. Furchgott and Zawadzki (1980) made the pioneering observation that the relaxation of isolated arteries to acetylcholine was dependent on the presence of an intact endothelial lining. They hypothesized that the vasodilatation was mediated by a secondary signal initiated in the intimal layer of the blood vessel wall. Since this discovery, a variety of endogenous and exogenous agents has been shown to elicit relaxations that are mediated by the release from the endothelium of a short-lived substance referred to as endothelium-derived relaxing factor (EDRF).