Impatto dell'endotelio sugli eventi molecolari e cellulari coinvolti nella fisiopatologia della flogosi : studi in vivo ed in vitro : dottorato di ricerca in biotecnologie applicate alle scienze veterinarie e zootecniche

Endothelium is an endocrine organ that is spatially distributed throughout the body. Endothelial dysfunction is a hallmark for vascular diseases. Despite enormous advances in the understanding of endothelial cell biology, many critical questions about its fundamental role in vascular pathophysiology remain largely unanswered. The present thesis describes the in vivo and in vitro studies we carried out in order to investigate the association between endothelial dysfunction and organ-specific inflammatory conditions, such as atherosclerosis, hypoxic pulmonary hypertension and sepsis, as well as the therapeutic potential of endothelial derived substances, such as nitric oxide, and the enormous potential of the endothelium as a therapeutic target.