Endothelial dysfunction in hypertension: cause or effect?

Editorial Commentary Endothelial Dysfunction and Hypertension Cause or Effect?

Endothelial dysfunction refers to impairment of endothelium-dependent vasodilatation and implies widespread abnormalities in endothelial integrity and homeostasis. The ability to assess endothelial function has been critical to advancing our understanding of the significance of this complex monolayer to cardiovascular (CV) disease. Early human translational approaches required invasive assessme...

Endothelial Dysfunction in Experimental Models of Arterial Hypertension: Cause or Consequence?

Hypertension is a risk factor for other cardiovascular diseases and endothelial dysfunction was found in humans as well as in various commonly employed animal experimental models of arterial hypertension. Data from the literature indicate that, in general, endothelial dysfunction would not be the cause of experimental hypertension and may rather be secondary, that is, resulting from high blood ...

Endothelial dysfunction and hypertension.

Endothelial dysfunction in pulmonary hypertension.

The pathogenesis of pulmonary hypertension (PH) involves a complex and multifactorial process. Endothelial dysfunction seems to play an integral role in mediating the structural changes in the pulmonary vasculature. Disordered endothelial cell proliferation along with concurrent neoangiogenesis, when exuberant, results in the formation of glomeruloid structures known as the plexiform lesions, w...

Does ADMA cause endothelial dysfunction?

Asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) is an endogenous and competitive inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase. Plasma levels of this inhibitor are elevated in patients with atherosclerosis and in those with risk factors for atherosclerosis. In these patients, plasma ADMA levels are correlated with the severity of endothelial dysfunction and atherosclerosis. By inhibiting the production of nitric oxide...