Endothelium is a community of endothelial cells (ECs), which line the blood and lymphatic vessels, thus forming an interface between the tissues and the blood or lympha. This strategic position of endothelium infers its indispensable functional role in controlling vasoregulation, haemostasis, and inflammation. The state of endothelium is simultaneously the cause and effect of many diseases, and this is coupled with modifications of endothelial phenotype represented by markers and with biochemical profile of blood represented by biomarkers. In this paper, we briefly review data on the functional role of endothelium, give definitions of endothelial markers and biomarkers, touch on the methodological approaches for revealing biomarkers, present an implicit role of endothelium in some toxicological mechanistic studies, and survey the role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in modulation of endothelial status.

The albumin molecule, in contrast to many other plasma proteins, is not covered with a carbohydrate moiety and can bind and transport various molecules of endogenous and exogenous origin. The enzymatic activity of albumin, the existence of which many scientists perceive skeptically, is much less studied. In toxicology, understanding the mechanistic interactions of organophosphates with albumin is a special problem, and its solution could help in the development of new types of antidotes. In the present work, the history of the issue is briefly examined, then our in silico data on the interaction of human serum albumin with soman, as well as comparative in silico data of human and bovine serum albumin activities in relation to paraoxon, are presented. Information is given on the substrate specificity of albumin and we consider the possibility of its affiliation to certain classes in the nomenclature of enzymes.

The volume of publications on the role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in biological processes has been increasing exponentially over the last decades. ROS in large amounts clearly have detrimental effects on cell physiology, whereas low concentrations of ROS are permanently produced in cells and play a role as signaling molecules. An imbalance in ROS production and defense mechanisms can lead to pathological vascular remodeling, atherosclerosis being among them. The aim of this review is to examine different sources of ROS from the point of view of their participation in pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and related cardiovascular risk. Among the possible sources of ROS discussed here are mitochondria, NADPH-oxidases, xanthine oxidase, peroxidases, NO-synthases, cytochrome P450, cyclooxygenases, lipoxygenases, and hemoglobin of red blood cells. A great challenge for future research is to establish interrelations, feedback and feed-forward regulation mechanisms of various sources of ROS in development of atherosclerosis and other vascular pathologies.

Endothelial cells (ECs) line the blood vessels and lymphatic vessels, as well as heart chambers, forming the border between the tissues, on the one hand, and blood or lymph, on the other. Such a strategic position of the endothelium determines its most important functional role in the regulation of vascular tone, hemostasis, and inflammatory processes. The damaged endothelium can be both a cause and a consequence of many diseases. The state of the endothelium is indicated by the phenotype of these cells, represented mainly by (trans)membrane markers (surface antigens). This review defines endothelial markers, provides a list of them, and considers the mechanisms of their expression and the role of the endothelium in certain pathological conditions.

The regulation of cytoplasmic free calcium concentration [( Ca2+]i) in endothelial cells (EC) derived from human umbilical vein, aorta, and pulmonary artery, or from bovine pulmonary artery, was studied by means of the fluorescent Ca2+ indicator indo-1. Histamine and thrombin caused a rapid transient elevation in [Ca2+]i in the EC of all the human blood vessels tested. In aortic EC, [Ca2+]i also rose in response to ATP and bradykinin. It was shown that in bovine pulmonary artery EC [Ca2+]i rises in response to platelet-activating factor (PAF) and thrombin. For a more detailed investigation of the receptor-mediated mechanism of [Ca2+]i increase in EC we used histamine as a stimulating agent. Histamine effects were seen at concentrations ranging from 5 X 10(-7) to 10(-4) M [50% effective dose (ED50) approximately 2-4 microM)] and were mediated by H1-receptors. The histamine-induced increase in [Ca2+]i was not markedly diminished when the extracellular calcium was bound by excess ethylene glycol-bis(beta-aminoethyl ether)-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid (EGTA). The data obtained indicate that the histamine effect is best explained by Ca2+ mobilization from intracellular stores. The histamine-induced increase in [Ca2+]i was not influenced by elevating the intracellular levels of adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) or cyclic guanylic acid (cGMP) by use of isobutylmethylxanthine and forskolin or by nitroprusside preincubation, respectively. However, the protein kinase C stimulator, phorbol myristate acetate (PMA), strongly inhibits [Ca2+]i elevation. It is assumed that a negative feedback mechanism that blocks receptor-mediated [Ca2+]i increase is triggered as a result of the activation of protein kinase C.