ABSTRACT
Over the past two decades important influences of ethanol on the cardiovascular system have been recognized. Several epidemiological studies have demonstrated a consistent dose-response relationship between increasing alcohol consumption and decreasing incidence of coronary heart disease, despite an increase in mortality due to a number of other diseases [1-3]. More recently, in vivo animal studies have demonstrated an inhibitory effect of ethanol on neointimal formation following balloon injury [4,5]. These observations have prompted further investigation into the direct effect of ethanol on vascular endothelial and smooth muscle cell function. In vivo, cells of the blood vessel wall are continuously subjected to hemodynamic forces due to flowing blood that are now recognized as eliciting critical biologic responses that result in modulation of vessel function and structure [6-8]. Thus, it is important to consider these forces in any study of ethanol and vascular cells. The object of this chapter is to focus on some key functions of vascular cells that are modulated by hemodynamic forces (e.g., endothelial nitric oxide production; smooth muscle cell migration and proliferation), and how ethanol has been reported to affect these responses.
