Endothelial cell seeding on prosthetic surfaces

Once thought to be a monolayer of passive cells lining the vasculature, end othelial cells are now known to be important regulators of normal vascular physiology. Unfortunately, these critically important cells are destroyed o r removed by interventional and surgical procedures performed to recanalize or bypass vascular obstructions. The loss of these cells contributes to th rombosis and restenosis, the major complications observed after angioplasty , stent deployment, and prosthetic graft implantation. One approach to prev enting these complications is the placement of endothelial cells on stents or prosthetic grafts prior to their placement in vivo in the hope that thes e cells will, after growth and maturation, release the factors necessary to inhibit thrombosis and intimal thickening. The purpose of this review pape r is to provide an overview of the physiologic functions of normal and dysf unctional endothelial cells, and to discuss experiments in which endothelia l cells have been placed on metallic stents and prosthetic grafts.