Context-specific endothelial heterogeneity (literature review)

The analytical review considers morphological and functional aspects of endothelial heterogeneity depending on various vascular pathologies using atherosclerosis, thrombosis, arterial hypertension and microcirculatory vasospastic angina as examples. Among the universal mechanisms of endothelial dysfunction, the most important are impaired nitric oxide biosynthesis, dysregulation of molecular mechanisms of mechanotransduction, endothelial-mesenchymal transition, proinflammatory and prothrombotic activation. Besides, the very process of physiological aging of endothelial cells in the form of increased permeability, lipid retention, adhesion and cellular transmigration is also of great importance in the pathogenesis of these diseases. Taking into account the current state of the issue of endothelial heterogeneity, promising areas for further study of its pathophysiology are briefly listed, including developments in the field of studying the transcriptome and proteome of cells of atheroprotective conduits used in coronary artery bypass grafting, and molecular-cellular analogies between oncopathology and atherosclerosis.