Endothelium‐Dependent, Shear‐Induced Vasodilation Is Rate‐Sensitive

Abstract

Our results suggest that two fundamentally different responses to shear stress are mediated by microvascular endothelium: one vasodilation is elicited by shear stress changes on a time scale of a few seconds or less and another is elicited by shear stress changes on a longer time scale. The former response is potent, transient, and rate sensitive; the latter is more modest, sustained, and magnitude sensitive.