Interaction of the formed elements of blood with the coronary vasculature in vivo.

Considerable attention is being given to the interactions that occur among blood platelets, neutrophils, and the vascular endothelium. There is an increasing awareness that the various blood elements interact in the process of thrombus formation and vascular occlusion. In addition, interactions among these cells can lead to the formation and release of vasoactive substances that have the potential to modulate regional blood flow. This review focuses on the coronary vascular bed and an assessment of how cell-cell interactions, under normal physiological conditions as well as in the presence of myocardial injury, may lead to alterations in coronary vascular resistance and myocardial function. Should related events be operative in human clinical states of disease, the circulating elements of the blood may serve as targets in the development of therapeutic interventions to regulate myocardial blood flow.