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Relevance of disease‐ and organ‐specific endothelial cells for in vitro research
Author(s) -
Lehle Karla,
Straub Rainer H,
Morawietz Henning,
KunzSchughart Leoni A
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
cell biology international
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.932
H-Index - 77
eISSN - 1095-8355
pISSN - 1065-6995
DOI - 10.1042/cbi20100531
Subject(s) - endothelium , endothelial dysfunction , coronary artery disease , disease , endothelial stem cell , medicine , immunology , diabetes mellitus , biology , organ transplantation , in vitro , bioinformatics , pathology , transplantation , endocrinology , biochemistry
The endothelium is a dynamic, heterogeneous, disseminated organ that possesses vital secretory, synthetic, metabolic and immunological functions. Endothelial dysfunction has been implicated as a key factor in the development of organ‐specific vascular diseases. This minireview gives a brief overview on EC (endothelial cell) biomarkers in arterial and venous endothelium and critically discusses the different sources of ECs that are most frequently applied in in vitro assays and research. The relevance of organ‐ and disease‐specific endothelial cell cultures for studying cellular responses as a basis for improving therapeutic interventions is highlighted with particular emphasis on endothelial dysfunction in transplant‐associated coronary artery disease, in atherosclerotic lesions and in response to diabetes mellitus.