title: [Endothelial function: role, assessment and limits].
abstract: For several years, detecting and preventing cardiovascular diseases have become a major issue. Different methods have been developed to evaluate endothelial function. Endothelial dysfunction is one of the first steps leading to atherosclerosis. This review presents an insight into endothelial function, the interests of its assessment and methods for studying endothelial function. To date, the vascular endothelium must be considered as a specific organ with its own functions that contribute to the homeostasis of the cardiovascular system. Endothelial dysfunction typically corresponds to a decrease of nitric oxide NO bioavailability. Biological or physico-chemical methods may be used to assess dysfunction. Biological methods allow measuring NO metabolites and pro-inflammatory and vasoconstrictor mediators released by the endothelium. The physico-chemical methods include intra-coronary injections, plethysmography, flow-mediated dilation (FMD), digital plethysmography and optical techniques using laser (laser Doppler single-point, laser Doppler imager, laser speckle contrast imaging) that can be coupled with provocation tests (iontophoresis, microdialysis, post-ischemic hyperemia, local heating). The principle of each technique and its use in clinical practice are discussed. Studying endothelial dysfunction is a particularly promising field because of new drugs being developed. Nevertheless, assessment methodology still needs further development to enable reliable, non-invasive, reproducible, and inexpensive ways to analyze endothelial dysfunction.
authors.affiliation: Service des explorations fonctionnelles vasculaires, centre hospitalier universitaire, 49933 Angers cedex 9, France.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Puissant
authors.affiliation: Service des explorations fonctionnelles vasculaires, centre hospitalier universitaire, 49933 Angers cedex 9, France; Biologie neurovasculaire et mitochondriale intégrée (BNMI) - unité mixte UMR CNRS 6214/Inserm U 1083, faculté de médecine, LUNAM université, 49045 Angers, France.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Abraham
authors.affiliation: EA 4334 motricity, interactions, and performance, LUNAM université, université du Maine, 72085 Le Mans cedex 9, France.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Durand
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire d'ingénierie des systèmes automatisés (LISA), LUNAM université, université d'Angers, 49000 Angers, France.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Humeau-Heurtier
authors.affiliation: Stress oxydant et pathologies métaboliques (SOPAM), Inserm U1063, LUNAM université, université d'Angers, 40045 Angers, France.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Faure
authors.affiliation: Département de chirurgie plastique, centre hospitalier universitaire, 49933 Angers cedex 9, France.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rousseau
authors.affiliation: Biologie neurovasculaire et mitochondriale intégrée (BNMI) - unité mixte UMR CNRS 6214/Inserm U 1083, faculté de médecine, LUNAM université, 49045 Angers, France; Pôle imagerie médicale, centre hospitalier universitaire Pontchaillou, 2, avenue du Pr-Léon-Bernard, 35033 Rennes cedex 9, France. Electronic address: maheguillaume@yahoo.fr.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mahé
mesh_terms: D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002320:Cardiovascular Physiological Phenomena; D003935:Diagnostic Techniques, Cardiovascular; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000502:physiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D006940:Hyperemia / Q000503:physiopathology; D007478:Iontophoresis; D017078:Laser-Doppler Flowmetry; D008955:Models, Cardiovascular; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000502:physiology; D010991:Plethysmography; D014664:Vasodilation / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D009569:Nitric Oxide
keywords: Endothelial function; Fonction endothéliale; Lasers; Methods; Méthodes