ABSTRACT
Mechanical forces are an integral part of endothelial cell physiology and development, and there are distinct functional roles for shear stress. Endothelial cells are involved in many aspects of vascular physiology including barrier functions that separate the circulating materials from the underlying tissue and select what components will enter and exit the blood stream, vasoconstriction and vasodilation to maintain blood pressure, angiogenesis, infl ammation, and atherosclerotic response. Cellular function requires maintaining homeostasis as well as being able to respond to mechanical and chemical stimuli in short and long times. Under normal physiological conditions endothelial cells experience a wide range of shear stress depending on their location within the circulatory system. Generally, laminar shear stress results in an atheroprotective response by the
1Department of Chemical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA. 2Department of Biomedical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA. *Corresponding author: krisdahl@cmu.edu
endothelium. Conversely, disturbed shear stress including low shear stress, oscillatory fl ow, and fl ow reversals results in an atherosclerotic response.
