Shireman P K, Pearce W H
Department of Surgery, Northwestern University Medical School, Chicago, IL 60611, USA.
AJR Am J Roentgenol. 1996 Jan;166(1):7-13. doi: 10.2214/ajr.166.1.8571908.
Endothelial cells (EC) form a monolayer with a strategic role in the control of many physiologic and biologic pathways. Although the endothelium initially was thought to be an inert and passive barrier of the vasculature, the diverse functions of EC have been better defined in the past decade. EC play an important role in the control of coagulation, vasomotor tone, growth of vascular smooth muscle cells, white cell trafficking, ischemic and reperfusion injuries, and the development of arteriosclerosis. Owing to their location in the arterial tree, EC also are considered a potential target for gene therapy. The introduction of foreign DNA into EC by in vitro transfection with viral vectors has produced encouraging results when using genes that encode for proteins such as insulin and urokinase. The seeding of EC onto vascular grafts appears to convey the thromboresistant properties of saphenous vein to an artificial surface. This review focuses on the important biologic and physiologic functions of EC in health and disease.
内皮细胞（EC）形成一层单层细胞，在许多生理和生物学途径的控制中发挥着关键作用。尽管内皮最初被认为是血管系统中一个惰性和被动的屏障，但在过去十年中，EC的多种功能已得到更明确的界定。EC在凝血控制、血管舒缩张力、血管平滑肌细胞生长、白细胞运输、缺血和再灌注损伤以及动脉硬化发展中发挥重要作用。由于它们在动脉树中的位置，EC也被认为是基因治疗的一个潜在靶点。当使用编码胰岛素和尿激酶等蛋白质的基因时，通过病毒载体体外转染将外源DNA导入EC已产生了令人鼓舞的结果。将EC接种到血管移植物上似乎能将大隐静脉的抗血栓特性传递到人工表面。本综述重点关注EC在健康和疾病中的重要生物学和生理功能。
