摘要：The vascular endothelium has been recognized to have a central importance in maintaining
vascular homeostasis and in preventing cardiovascular disease. The mechanisms underlying the regulation
of its function are extremely complex, and are principally determined by physical forces imposed
on the endothelium by the flowing blood. In the present paper, we describe the interactions between the
rheological properties of blood and the vascular endothelium. The role of shear stress, viscosity, cell-cell
interactions, as well as the molecular mechanisms that are important for the transduction of these signals
are discussed both in physiology and in pathology, with a particular attention to the role of reactive oxygen
species. In the final conclusions, we propose an hypothesis regarding the implications of changes in
blood viscosity, and particularly on the significance of secondary hyperviscosity syndromes.
