How Do Vascular Endothelial Cells Respond to Flow?

Abstract

Endothelial cells lining the circulation are continuously subjected to hemodynamic forces. Because flow is known to influence constriction and relaxation of small arteries and is implicated in the localization of athherosclerotic lesions in large arteries, the role of the endothelium as a "mechanotransducer" of flow-related forces, particularly shear stresses, is of great interest.