Altered Vascular Reactivity in Coronary Artery Disease

The endothelial lining is metabolically very active and synthesizes powerful local hormones (autacoids), which diffuse into the adjacent vasculature and elicit decisive changes in vascular tone and conductance and therefore in oran perfusion. A loss or an impairment of endothelium-dependent control mechanisms becomes particularly important under pathophysiological conditions, such as when endothelial function is disturbed due to atheromatosis, hypertension, diabetes, balloon catheter evoked endothelial denudation, several immunological diseases, including intimai vascular alterations following heart transplantation and other surgical interventions which affect endothelium mediated vascular control. The physiological and pathophysiological aspects of the endothelial autacoid release in the regulation of coronary vascular tone is described in this report with emphasis on the role of the endothelium-derived relaxant factor (EDRF).