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Endothelial progenitor cells in the vascular pathophysiology of hypertension: arterial stiffness, ageing and more

Journal of Human Hypertension volume 20, pages 475–477 (2006)Cite this article

Endothelial integrity is a key determinant of vascular homeostasis and relies upon the maintenance of a critical balance between endothelial degeneration and repair. Endothelial cells play a crucial role in the regulation of several arterial properties including arterial vascular tone and permeability, angiogenesis as well as the vascular response to inflammation.1 Vascular ageing per se leads to a number of functional and structural changes within the vessel wall which precedes obstructive atherosclerosis and cardiovascular events.2, 3 While akin to many of the pathological changes of atherosclerosis, the two are not synonymous.

Endothelial dysfunction appears to be one of the earliest markers of advancing age leading to increased arterial vulnerability to the effects of other well known atherosclerotic risk factors, such as smoking, raised cholesterol and diabetes. However, while the relationship between ageing and endothelial dysfunction is well established (as quantified by a reduction in flow-mediated dilatation (FMD)), its relationship to plasma markers of endothelial damage/dysfunction (e.g. von Willebrand factor) is less clear.4, 5 Furthermore, the mechanisms for the observed endothelial dysfunction are poorly understood at present.6

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  1. University Department of Medicine, Haemostasis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology Unit, City Hospital, Birmingham, UK

    C J Boos, P K Y Goon & G Y H Lip

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Correspondence to G Y H Lip.

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Boos, C., Goon, P. & Lip, G. Endothelial progenitor cells in the vascular pathophysiology of hypertension: arterial stiffness, ageing and more. J Hum Hypertens 20, 475–477 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.jhh.1001991

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