Recent findings in physiology and pathology of endothelial cells of the skin

: Perivascular cell infiltrates with concomitant changes of the endothelium represent a histological hallmark of numerous inflammatory dermatoses. Therefore, the pathophysiology of dermal endothelial cells is of particular importance for the understanding of inflammatory processes within the skin. In recent years, the development and refinement of endothelial cell culture techniques have facilitated investigations in cell biology and molecular biology, which complement histological observations, so leading to sounder knowledge of endothelial cell pathophysiology. The following review will discuss characteristic features of endothelial cells as well as in-vitro culture techniques. Focussing on endothelial cell interactions with leukocytes and with the extracellular matrix, recent developments in this area of research will be presented.