Miller Virginia M, Mulvagh Sharon L
Department of Surgery, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905, USA.
Trends Pharmacol Sci. 2007 Jun;28(6):263-70. doi: 10.1016/j.tips.2007.04.004. Epub 2007 Apr 26.
Intra-arterial infusion of acetylcholine causes classical endothelium-dependent vasodilatation that is mediated by endothelium-derived relaxing factor(s), the most prominent of which is nitric oxide. The absence of this vasodilatation, or endothelial 'dysfunction', correlates with the earliest stages of atherosclerosis and might be used to identify individuals who could benefit from aggressive intervention strategies and to assess treatment efficacy. Sex steroid hormones (estrogen and testosterone) increase the production and release of endothelium-derived nitric oxide both in men and in women. Therefore, endogenous hormonal status could present a confounding factor in the assessment of endothelial function.
动脉内注入乙酰胆碱会引起典型的内皮依赖性血管舒张，这是由内皮衍生的舒张因子介导的，其中最主要的是一氧化氮。这种血管舒张的缺失，即内皮“功能障碍”，与动脉粥样硬化的最早阶段相关，并且可用于识别可能从积极干预策略中受益的个体以及评估治疗效果。性类固醇激素（雌激素和睾酮）在男性和女性中都会增加内皮衍生一氧化氮的产生和释放。因此，内源性激素状态可能是评估内皮功能时的一个混杂因素。
