Abstract: The vascular endothelium is the thin monolayer of specialized cells that line the blood vessels of the cardiovascular system. This endothelium is more than a simple protective barrier since it possesses anticoagulatory properties, mediates the metabolites exchange and regulates the vascular tone and homeostasis maintenance. These functions are finely tuned by endothelial cells that, in the absence of any stimuli, remain in a quiescent stage (Conway & Carmeliet, 2004). In fact, endothelial cells occasionally divide in a normal vessel, displaying...
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Topics: 
Cell biology