Immunological Aspects of the Vascular Endothelium

This is the first volume to take an in-depth look at the functioning of the vascular endothelium, and the diseases and tissue injury that arise as a result of inflammation and immunological responses. The vascular endothelium is a metabolically highly active layer of cells lining all blood vessel walls. Through its interactions with leucocytes and other mediators, it is central to the development of inflammatory foci and to lymphocyte trafficking around the body. Tissue injury may arise here as a result of abnormal inflammatory or immune responses. The potential for such injury to contribute to autoimmune disease is discussed in this book, particularly in relation to autoimmune vascular disease of the renal, rheumatological and neurological systems, as well as in organ transplantation.