ABSTRACT
Introduction The endothelium, which forms the inner lining of vertebrate blood vessels and lymphatics, is a systemically distributed organ. The endothelium was once considered to be little more than an inert layer of nucleated cellophane. However, since the 1950s, it has become increasingly clear that endothelial cells participate in a multitude of physiological functions, including hemostasis, permeability, leukocyte trafcking, innate and acquired immunity, and vasomotor tone.
