Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 23, 2026

Assessing Endothelial Vasodilator Function with the Endo-PAT 2000
Published on: October 15, 2010
[Inhibition of platelet activation by endothelium-derived relaxing factor EDRF/NO and NO releasing dilator
1Institut für Angewandte Physiologie, Universität Freiburg.
Abstract:
Several circulating agonists and hydromechanic factors such as the viscous drag-induced shear forces of the bloodstream stimulate the release of EDRF/NO from endothelial cells. Abluminally released EDRF controls vascular tone, luminally released EDRF diffuses into the platelets, especially when they come into contact with the endothelial cell lining. Stimulating soluble guanylate cyclase in the platelets causes a rise in cGMP and a reduction in intracellular Ca(2+)-concentrations which suppresses platelet adhesion and aggregation, and potentiates the effects of PGI2-induced cAMP-increases. Nitrovasodilators which spontaneously release NO, such as molsidomine and sodium nitroprusside, can substitute for diminished EDRF-release from deficient endothelial cells and, likewise, suppress platelet aggregation in vitro and in vivo.
Related Concept Videos
Nitric Oxide Signaling Pathway
Antihypertensive Drugs: Vasodilators
Antiplatelet Drugs: Prostaglandin Synthesis, P2Y12 and Glycoprotein IIb/IIIa Inhibitors
Prostaglandin synthesis inhibitors, exemplified by the widely known aspirin, wield their power by irreversibly acetylating...
Formation of the Platelet Plug
As the injured blood vessel contracts, endothelial cells undergo contraction, revealing collagen fibers in the basement membrane and underlying connective tissue. Furthermore, the plasma membrane of endothelial cells becomes adhesive, preparing the site for platelet adhesion. Platelets...
Treatment for Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension: Endothelin Receptor Antagonists
ETs are synthesized through a complex sequence of enzymatic steps, primarily involving an enzyme referred to as endothelin-converting enzyme (ECE). Of...
Treatment for Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension: Prostacyclin Receptor Agonists
These agonists bind to the IPR receptor situated on the plasma membrane of the pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells. This binding triggers a cascade of reactions known as the GS-AC-cAMP-PKA pathway. This pathway results in the relaxation of smooth muscle...

