ABSTRACT
As the endothelial cells are the first component of the cardiovascular system to be exposed to the factors that can lead to vascular injury and disease, it was to be expected that their function would be altered accordingly. In porcine coronary arteries, in vivo denudation of the endothelium is followed by a rapid regeneration of the endothelial layer and recovery of endothelium-dependent responses to bradykinin and aggregating platelets within 1 week. However, 4 weeks after the denudation, the number of endothelial cells is increased and the endothelium-dependent relaxation to aggregating platelets is impaired; at that time the endothelium-dependent relaxations to adenosine diphosphate (ADP), the calcium ions ionophore A23187, bradykinin, thrombin, and platelet-activating factor are preserved. In many patients with coronary artery disease, internal mammary arteries and saphenous veins have been used as bypass grafts. The internal mammary artery has a higher patency rate.
