Endothelium Definition

Blood is often described as a “river of the body’ that supplies all messages and nutrients between cells and organs. The river has to be tightly regulated and can’t be allowed to get too high or too low. It also has to be decided which message and material are sent along with the blood.

Any cell or organ of the body only function after receiving the proper message through the blood, thus the functioning of the entire body depends upon the blood. Under a microscope or during dissection, the endothelium looks a bit like cellophane plastic wrap. But it performs many important tasks at the molecular level that are essential to maintain our health.

Some important function of endothelium includes:

• Monitoring and controlling the release of electrolytes and water into the blood.
• It responses to hormones and neural signals by relaxing and contracting to control blood pressure.
• Prevents blood clotting inside the vessels due to the presence of anti-clotting factors.
• The cells are selectively permeable that means they allow only white blood cell to pass between the tissues and blood vessels but does not allow bacteria.
• Helps in the growth and repair of blood vessels.
• Respond to immune and inflammatory signals.

The condition in which the endothelium doesn’t do any job properly is called “endothelial dysfunction”, which can cause many diseases in the body. The failure of endothelial cells to release proper anti-clotting factors can cause high blood pressure and the formation of blood clots in the arteries.

Endothelial problems can also cause inflammatory immune responses that damage organs. The dysfunction of endothelium is common in patients with diabetes, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.