Biomaterial Database

Endothelium-dependent contractions. 1991

P M Vanhoutte, and T F Lüscher, and T Gräser

Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Tex.

The endothelial cells help to control the tone of the underlying vascular smooth muscle by releasing vasoactive factors. In physiological circumstances, the release of relaxing factors (nitric oxide and endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor) appears to predominate. However, in certain blood vessels (peripheral veins and large cerebral arteries), the normal endothelium has the propensity to release vasoconstrictor substances, among which are superoxide anion and thromboxane A2; the release of these endothelium-derived vasoconstrictors may contribute to the autoregulatory processes. In most blood vessels, anoxic conditions initiate the release of an unidentified endothelium-dependent contracting factor. Cultured endothelial cells, and blood vessels maintained under culture conditions for prolonged periods of time, release the vasoconstrictor peptide endothelin. A characteristic of vascular diseases is that the ability of the endothelial cells to release relaxing factor(s) is reduced, while the generation of contracting factor is maintained or enhanced.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D009119	Muscle Contraction	A process leading to shortening and/or development of tension in muscle tissue. Muscle contraction occurs by a sliding filament mechanism whereby actin filaments slide inward among the myosin filaments.	Inotropism,Muscular Contraction,Contraction, Muscle,Contraction, Muscular,Contractions, Muscle,Contractions, Muscular,Inotropisms,Muscle Contractions,Muscular Contractions
D009131	Muscle, Smooth, Vascular	The nonstriated involuntary muscle tissue of blood vessels.	Vascular Smooth Muscle,Muscle, Vascular Smooth,Muscles, Vascular Smooth,Smooth Muscle, Vascular,Smooth Muscles, Vascular,Vascular Smooth Muscles
D011451	Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases	Enzyme complexes that catalyze the formation of PROSTAGLANDINS from the appropriate unsaturated FATTY ACIDS, molecular OXYGEN, and a reduced acceptor.	Fatty Acid Cyclo-Oxygenase,PGH Synthase,Prostaglandin H Synthase,Prostaglandin Synthase,Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthase,Arachidonic Acid Cyclooxygenase,Cyclo-Oxygenase,Cyclooxygenase,Cyclooxygenases,Hydroperoxide Cyclase,PGH2 Synthetase,Prostaglandin Cyclo-Oxygenase,Prostaglandin Cyclooxygenase,Prostaglandin Endoperoxide Synthetase,Prostaglandin G-H Synthase,Prostaglandin H2 Synthetase,Prostaglandin Synthetase,Cyclase, Hydroperoxide,Cyclo Oxygenase,Cyclo-Oxygenase, Fatty Acid,Cyclo-Oxygenase, Prostaglandin,Cyclooxygenase, Arachidonic Acid,Cyclooxygenase, Prostaglandin,Endoperoxide Synthetase, Prostaglandin,Fatty Acid Cyclo Oxygenase,G-H Synthase, Prostaglandin,Prostaglandin Cyclo Oxygenase,Prostaglandin Endoperoxide Synthases,Prostaglandin G H Synthase,Synthase, PGH,Synthase, Prostaglandin,Synthase, Prostaglandin G-H,Synthase, Prostaglandin H,Synthase, Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide,Synthases, Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide,Synthetase, PGH2,Synthetase, Prostaglandin,Synthetase, Prostaglandin Endoperoxide,Synthetase, Prostaglandin H2
D004730	Endothelium, Vascular	Single pavement layer of cells which line the luminal surface of the entire vascular system and regulate the transport of macromolecules and blood components.	Capillary Endothelium,Vascular Endothelium,Capillary Endotheliums,Endothelium, Capillary,Endotheliums, Capillary,Endotheliums, Vascular,Vascular Endotheliums
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D000860	Hypoxia	Sub-optimal OXYGEN levels in the ambient air of living organisms.	Anoxia,Oxygen Deficiency,Anoxemia,Deficiency, Oxygen,Hypoxemia,Deficiencies, Oxygen,Oxygen Deficiencies
D016232	Endothelins	21-Amino-acid peptides produced by vascular endothelial cells and functioning as potent vasoconstrictors. The endothelin family consists of three members, ENDOTHELIN-1; ENDOTHELIN-2; and ENDOTHELIN-3. All three peptides contain 21 amino acids, but vary in amino acid composition. The three peptides produce vasoconstrictor and pressor responses in various parts of the body. However, the quantitative profiles of the pharmacological activities are considerably different among the three isopeptides.	Endothelium-Derived Vasoconstrictor Factors,Endothelin,Vasoconstrictor Factors, Endothelium-Derived