It is the cardiac muscle that enables the heart to contract and allows for the synchronization of the heartbeat. The layer assists in the regulation of mechanisms involved in blood clotting. Furthermore, this tissue has an embryonic mesodermal origin. Damage to the endothelium contributes to the development of atherosclerosis, and hence to possible myocardial infarction and subsequent heart failu … The body tries to compensate for this by ordering the heart to pump harder to maintain normal flow by raising the blood pressure. The endothelial cells ultimately determine the health of your blood vessels and play a … Damaged endothelium therefore contributes to hypertension. Endothelium is a specialized type of epithelium found in the lining of blood and lymphatic vessels. The heart wall is composed of connective tissue, endothelium, and cardiac muscle. The endothelium is a thin membrane that coats the inside of blood vessels and the heart. The tone of the endothelial layer also determines how much work is needed from the heart to pump blood through the body. The endothelium is vital to the proper functioning in the heart, in particular due to its production of nitric oxide (NO) which regulates vascular tone. Far from being inert, it is metabolically active and produces a variety of vasoactive mediators. Superiorly, is the second layer: a subendocardial connective tissue which is continuous with the connective tissue of the myocardium. The endothelium is a layer of cells on the inside of blood vessels and the heart. Because it is adjacent to the bloodstream, the endothelium can signal a blood vessel’s muscle to respond to changes in pressure and inflammation. Also, it lines the heart cavities. However, research over the last 25 years has shown that the endothelium is an active, multi-functional organ that plays a vital role in metabolic, immunologic, and cardiovascular health. Branches of the heart’s conduction system are immersed into the subendocardial layer. Damage to the cardiovascular endothelium not only develops with heart disease, but is one of the first steps on the path to heart disease, detectable even before structural changes to the vessel wall are apparent. The heart wall is divided into three layers: epicardium, myocardium, and endocardium. The vascular endothelium is a monolayer of cells between the vessel lumen and the vascular smooth muscle cells. Endothelium cells help to control toxic substances in the blood. The endothelial layer has a tone that contributes to the control of blood pressure. Epicardium: the outer protective layer of the heart. As mentioned earlier the endothelial cells do a lot more than just regulate blood flow with nitric oxide, so damaging them has many other consequences. Endothelia are considered the “brains” of blood vessels. The inner layer lines the heart chambers and is made of endothelial cells. 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