Studies signal that damage to the endothelium\u2014cells that cover blood vessels like wallpaper\u2014could underpin the thrombosis and inflammation induced by coronavirus infection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The endothelium comprises a single layer of cells that forms the interior lining of blood vessels throughout the body. The tissue physically insulates blood elements from the highly thrombogenic, or clot-promoting, subendothelial connective tissue. In addition, under normal conditions, blood cells flow past without getting stuck because of the balance between the pro- and anti-clotting properties of the endothelium. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe endothelium is like Teflon. Nothing sticks to it,\u201d Harvard Medical School\u2019s Denisa Wagner tells The Scientist.<\/em> But just as a Teflon pan becomes sticky when scratched, a host of factors\u2014including viral infection and encounters with agents of inflammation\u2014makes it sticky. Such insults trigger endothelial release of VWF, which tethers platelets\u2014cells involved in clotting\u2014to the vessel wall, while the elevation of P-selectin causes leukocytes or immune cells to stick to the endothelium as well. This sets in motion a cascade of events that drives clot formation and inflammation\u2014two defining features of severe SARS-CoV-2 infection. <\/p>\n\n\n\n