Regulatory Functions of the Vascular Endothelium

William harvey, when studying the circulation of the blood, must have recognized that "In sound and living vessels the blood remains fluid, but it coagulates in dead ones" (Ernst Brücke, 1857). Joseph Lister (1909) provided further evidence for an active role of blood vessels in maintaining the liquidity of blood. The vascular endothelium, which envelops the circulating blood in a continuous monolayer, is mainly responsible for this function.Over the past 20 years numerous other important functions have been discovered. For instance, the outer surface of the endothelial cell contains angiotensin-converting enzyme, which catalyzes the formation of the vasoconstrictor angiotensin . . .