1. Nat. Rev. Nephrol. doi:10.1038/nrneph.2017.17
Figure 1 Antithrombotic and anti-inflammatory properties of endothelial cells
Figure 1 | Antithrombotic and anti-inflammatory properties of endothelial cells. The surface of an undamaged endothelial cell is covered by a thick glycocalyx layer consisting of proteoglycans bearing heparan sulfate chains. Under non-inflammatory and normoxic conditions, recruitment of polymorphonuclear cells, platelet interactions and activation of coagulation does not occur on the quiescent vasculature because the heparan sulfate chains harbour binding sites for regulators including the complement regulators factor H (FH) and C4b-binding protein (C4BP), the protease inhibitors C1 esterase inhibitor (C1-INH) and antithrombin (AT), tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI) and the zymogen protein C (PC). In addition, endothelial cells express transmembrane regulators of coagulation such as thrombomodulin (TM) and the endothelial protein C receptor (EPCR). Under quiescent conditions, von Willebrand Factor, which promotes binding of activated platelets and leukocytes to the cell surface, is stored in Weibel–Palade (W–P) bodies in the endothelial cells. When generated thrombin binds to TM, it converts EPCR-bound PC to the anticoagulant activated protein C, leading to endogenous regulation of coagulation that results in inactivation of factor Va (FVa) and FVIIIa. ICAM1, intercellular adhesion molecule 1; VCAM1, vascular cell adhesion protein 1.
Ekdahl, K. N. et al. (2017) Cardiovascular disease in haemodialysis: role of the intravascular innate immune system
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