Clinical, biochemical and cardiovascular implications of endothelial dysfunction in the dermal microcirculation

Hypertension: Pathophysiology and Treatment

“…In addition to NO other vasorelaxing factors such as arachidonic acid metabolites, reactive oxygen species (ROS), vasoactive peptides and microparticles of endothelial origin play important roles in maintenance of vascular tone. Emerging data suggests that these factors contribute to excessive vascular oxidative stress and vascular inflammation resulting in endothelial dysfunction [41,42]. In the recent years endothelial progenitor cells (EPC's) that develop to form mature endothelial cells has been implicated in the maintenance of arterial stiffness and as such are now considered as determinants of endothelial function [43,44].…”