the.com/endothelium
A one-cell-thick skin lining every blood vessel, quietly deciding who gets to leak.
means The thin single layer of cells lining the inside of blood vessels, the heart, and lymphatic vessels, forming the surface that blood actually touches.
from Built from Greek 'endon' (within) plus 'thele' (nipple, teat), the same root that gives us 'epithelium.' Early anatomists used 'thele' loosely for any nipple-like membranous surface, and when scientists in the 1800s identified the special inner lining of vessels — distinct from the epithelium covering the body's outer and cavity surfaces — they simply swapped the prefix to 'endo-' (inside) to mark its hidden, internal address.
- total area
- covers roughly a tennis court if unrolled
- nitric oxide
- secretes it to keep vessels relaxed and open
- nobel nod
- 1998 prize went to its signaling discovery
- dysfunction link
- early damage here predicts heart disease years ahead