[Mechanism involved in aged-related endothelial dysfunction]

Ageing is an important risk factor for many cardiovascular diseases with a common underlying circumstance: the progressive decline of endothelial function. This work summarizes the mechanisms involved in such dysfunction focusing our attention in the vasoactive substances released by the endothelium. The decrease of nitric oxide contribution, the enhancement of vasoconstrictor prostanoids and the modification of the action of either the endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor or the vasoconstrictor peptide endothelin are some of the manifestations that appear as the consequence of ageing in endothelial cells. The increase in oxidative stress, the higher production of reactive oxygen species and the proinflammatory phenotype of the vascular wall contribute to explain these facts. The role played by the senescence of endothelial cells and their progenitors is also revised.