Summary
Endothelial cells produce a variety of factors involved in the control of vascular tone, platelet activation and cell growth, one of the most important being nitric oxide (NO). Although continuously produced in small amounts by the endothelium, various physical and humoral stimuli greatly enhance the release of NO. The physiologically most important stimulus for the release of NO from these cells is considered to be the shear stress (or viscous drag) exerted on the luminal surface of the endothelium by the streaming blood. This stimulus does not only affect NO production acutely, but may also be required to maintain endothelial NO synthase expression. This brief overview resumes current knowledge on the potential mechanisms involved both in the acute and long-term effects of shear stress on endothelial NO formation.
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Hecker, M., Fleming, I., Ayajiki, K., Busse, R. (1995). Mechanisms of Shear Stress-Dependent Endothelial Nitric Oxide Release: Cardiovascular Implications. In: Weissman, B.A., Allon, N., Shapira, S. (eds) Biochemical, Pharmacological, and Clinical Aspects of Nitric Oxide. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-1903-4_5
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