Stvrtinová V, Ferencík M, Hulín I, Jahnová E
II. interná klinika Lekárskej fakulty Univerzity Komenského v Bratislave.
Bratisl Lek Listy. 1998 Jan;99(1):5-19.
In health, the vascular endothelium forms a multifunctional interface between the circulating blood and various tissues and organs of the body. It constitutes a selectively permeable barrier for macromolecules, as well as a nonthrombogenic and nonadhesive container that actively maintains the fluidity of blood. It is a metabolically active endocrine organ, serving as the source of multiple factors and mediators that are critical for normal homeostasis. These include vasodilators (nitric oxide, prostacyclin, endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor), vasoconstrictors (endothelin-1, thromboxane A2, prostaglandin H2 and components of the renin angiotensin system), various pro- and antithrombotic factors (e.g. tissue factor, platelet activating factor--PAF, von Willebrand factor), fibrinolytic activators and inhibitors (e.g. tissue plasminogen activator, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1), potent arachidonate metabolites (prostanoids), leukocyte adhesion molecules (e.g. E-selectin, P-selectin, intercellular adhesion molecule-1--ICAM-1, vascular cell adhesion molecule-1--VCAM-1), and multiple cytokines with activities of growth stimulators and inhibitors, transforming growth factors, proinflammatory and antiinflammatory mediators, tumour necrosis factors and chemotactic factors (chemokines). Besides these essential activities controlling the cardiovascular system, the endothelial cells represent an important part of the immune system as well. They have a pivotal role in the initiation and development of defensive and damaging inflammatory responses. Therefore endothelium can be considered as being the central equipment for the mutual exchange of life important information between the cardiovascular and immune systems. This in turn is leading to rapid advances in understanding the pathogenesis of some of the most serious and most common diseases, including inflammation, atherosclerosis and hypertension. (Tab. 7, Ref. 89.)
在健康状态下，血管内皮在循环血液与身体的各种组织和器官之间形成一个多功能界面。它构成了大分子的选择性渗透屏障，也是一个非血栓形成和非黏附性的容器，能积极维持血液的流动性。它是一个代谢活跃的内分泌器官，作为多种对正常体内平衡至关重要的因子和介质的来源。这些包括血管舒张剂（一氧化氮、前列环素、内皮衍生超极化因子）、血管收缩剂（内皮素 -1、血栓素 A2、前列腺素 H2 和肾素血管紧张素系统的成分）、各种促血栓形成和抗血栓形成因子（如组织因子、血小板活化因子 -PAF、血管性血友病因子）、纤维蛋白溶解激活剂和抑制剂（如组织型纤溶酶原激活剂、纤溶酶原激活剂抑制剂 -1）、强效花生四烯酸代谢产物（前列腺素类）、白细胞黏附分子（如 E-选择素、P-选择素、细胞间黏附分子 -1--ICAM-1、血管细胞黏附分子 -1--VCAM-1），以及具有生长刺激和抑制活性、转化生长因子、促炎和抗炎介质、肿瘤坏死因子和趋化因子（趋化素）的多种细胞因子。除了这些控制心血管系统的基本活动外，内皮细胞也是免疫系统的重要组成部分。它们在防御性和损伤性炎症反应的启动和发展中起关键作用。因此，内皮可被视为心血管系统与免疫系统之间生命重要信息相互交换的核心装置。这反过来又促使人们在理解一些最严重和最常见疾病（包括炎症、动脉粥样硬化和高血压）的发病机制方面取得快速进展。（表 7，参考文献 89。）
