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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2022 Jan 24.
Published in final edited form as: Annu Rev Biomed Eng. 2021 Apr 16;23:407–432. doi: 10.1146/annurev-bioeng-091520-025358

Figure 1.

Figure 1

Diseases of the microvasculature can be caused by changes to the endothelium, blood, or their ensuing pathological interactions. (a) The microvasculature is composed of arterioles, capillaries, and venules. Blood cells must nominally deform to pass through the microvasculature, and changes to the adhesiveness or stiffness significantly influence transport. Soluble factors in blood can modulate endothelial cell, smooth muscle cell, and pericyte activity. (b) In sickle cell disease, sickled red blood cells (RBCs) are stiffer and occlude endothelium, white blood cells (WBCs) are more adhesive, and free heme damages the endothelium. (c) Acute respiratory distress syndrome involves an inflamed, leaky endothelium and activated leukocytes, which are stiff and more adhesive.