Research report 2009 - Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research

High blood pressure, shock, atherosclerosis – dysregulations of the blood vessel system

Authors
Offermanns, Stefan
Departments
Summary
The wall of blood vessels consists of smooth muscle cells and of the endothelium, which lines the inner surface of the vessel. Various mediators, which in most cases act via G-protein-coupled receptors, regulate the contractile state as well as the permeability of the blood vessel wall. Defects in these regulatory processes can cause common diseases like hypertension, shock, or atherosclerosis. Recently, at the MPI for Heart and Lung Research new insights have been gained into the mechanisms underlying the regulation of vascular wall cells by various mediators as well as into the role of these processes in vascular diseases.

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