What does EDHF stand for?
In blood vessels Endothelium-Derived Hyperpolarizing Factor or EDHF is proposed to be a substance and/or electrical signal that is generated or synthesized in and released from the endothelium; its action is to hyperpolarize vascular smooth muscle cells, causing these cells to relax, thus allowing the blood vessel to …
Does EDHF cause vasodilation?
Vasodilation in response to increased flow is the function of the normal endothelium through the secretion of nitric oxide (NO), prostacyclin (PGI2) and endothelial-derived hyperpolarizing factor (EDHF) to promote the relaxation of vascular smooth muscle cells.
How does endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor work?
Endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor is an important vasodilator in the microcirculation and acts by opening K+ channels to allow for K+ efflux, hyperpolarization, and vascular smooth muscle relaxation.
What is endothelium-dependent?
Endothelium-Dependent Vasodilators The concept that the endothelium controls vascular tone in a paracrine fashion (i.e., by secreting diffusible soluble mediators able to act on physically contiguous cells, in this case smooth muscle) was extremely innovative and relevant to vascular physiology.
What is the cellular type of endothelium?
The endothelium is a thin layer of single flat (squamous) cells that line the interior surface of blood vessels and lymphatic vessels. Endothelium is of mesodermal origin. Both blood and lymphatic capillaries are composed of a single layer of endothelial cells called a monolayer.
What is the function of endothelin?
Endothelin-1 (ET-1) is a vasoconstrictor secreted by endothelial cells, which acts as the natural counterpart of the vasodilator nitric oxide (NO). ET-1 contributes to vascular tone and regulates cell proliferation through activation of ETA and ETB receptors.
What is endothelium dependent hyperpolarization?
Abstract. The endothelium controls vascular tone not only by releasing various vasoactive substances but also by another pathway associated with the hyperpolarization of both endothelial and vascular smooth muscle cells and is termed endothelium-dependent hyperpolarization (EDH).
What is endothelial function?
The endothelium is a thin membrane that lines the inside of the heart and blood vessels. Endothelial cells release substances that control vascular relaxation and contraction as well as enzymes that control blood clotting, immune function and platelet (a colorless substance in the blood) adhesion.
What are the four vessels in your body that are attached to the top of your heart?
The major blood vessels connected to your heart are the aorta, the superior vena cava, the inferior vena cava, the pulmonary artery (which takes oxygen-poor blood from the heart to the lungs where it is oxygenated), the pulmonary veins (which bring oxygen-rich blood from the lungs to the heart), and the coronary …