[Therapeutic strategies in the treatment of endothelial dysfunction: facts and outlook]

Endothelial cells play a key role in cardiovascular homeostasis by producing several vasoactive agents, which modulate basal vascular tone and structure. Traditional risk factors of atherosclerosis contribute to endothelial dysfunction through different mechanisms such as oxidative stress, modulation of constitutive nitric oxide synthase, activation of angiotensin-converting enzyme and presumably endothelin-1. The purpose of this review was to evaluate the results of experimental and human studies on several treatment options that could improve endothelial function. However, further studies are needed to evaluate whether these different classes of drugs may improve both vascular injury and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.