الفهرس 
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Abstract
The endothelium provides cellular lining to all blood vessels and cardiac valves and numerous body cavities in the body, and forms structural barrier between the vascular space and the tissues. The strategic location of the endothelium allow it to sense change in hemodynamic force and respond by releasing vasoactive substance and provision of an anti-thrombotic surface facilitating laminar blood flow and selective permeability to hematopoietic cells and nutrients (furchgott and Zawadzki , 1980).
Endothelial activation may result from diverse insult such as diorderd local cytokines production, viral infection, free radical formation or oxidation of lipids (Blann, 2000).
Endothelial dysfunction can be defined as imbalance between vasocnstricting and vasodilating substances produced by or acting on endothelial cells and is characterized by impaired NO synthesis or increased NO degradation (Deanfield et al, 2007).
The vascular endothelium plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of chronic diseases including atherosclerosis, cancer metastasis, inflammatory disease and hypertension. Indeed anti-endothelial antibodies have been detected in diabetes mellitus, scleroderma, vacuities and transplant rejection (Cooke, 2000).