Medicina
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Endocardial endothelium (EE) is essential in the embryonic development of the heart, the optimal contractility and rhythm as well as the remodeling of the heart. Endocardial endothelium affect the contractility of cardiomyocytes through paracrine signaling substances such as nitric oxide (NO), endothelin (ET-1), prostaglandins (PGI2, PGF2, PGE2) and angiotensin II (ANG II). Typical lesions of endocardial endothelium have been described in atrial fibrillation, ischemia/reperfusion injury, cardiac hypertrophy, heart failure, sepsis, myocardial infarction, inflammation and thrombosis. ⋯ Endocardial endothelial dysfunction is, similarly to coronary endothelial dysfunction, an early event that leads to the progression of heart failure. Multimarker strategy, that would include a different set of biomarkers, could significantly help in the assessment of patients with cardiovascular diseases. The challenge lays in finding new therapeutic strategies that would, by preserving endothelial function, prevent the onset of cardiovascular diseases.