The Effect of Hydrostatic Pressure on Endothelial Cells

Endothelial cells (ECs) are specialized cells that line the inner wall of blood vessels. The vascular environment provides a unique set of stimuli to ECs, which impact fundamental biological processes such as proliferation, apoptosis, migration, and differentiation. Consequently, an in-depth understanding of how the environment affects ECs holds great clinical promise due to the presence of ECs in virtually all physiological and pathological contexts.

One major contributor to this endothelial environment is blood pressure, which in mechanical terms manifests as hydrostatic pressure (isotropic compressive stress) on the cells. Perhaps owing to its elusive isotropic nature and properties as a thermodynamic variable, most previous studies have neglected to consider its impact on cellular behavior. In this project, we are interested in understanding the signaling pathways involved in the integration of hydrostatic pressure into biological response (mechanotransduction) of ECs. Moreover, we study how hydrostatic pressure acts in concert with other facets of the EC environment. To this end, experimental systems are developed that allow in vivo, ex vivo, and in vitro application of hydrostatic pressure to ECs in a broad range of settings. Our contributions will have direct applications to medically relevant challenges such as the endothelialization of implants and the vascularization of tissue constructs.