Status of the Endothelium-derived Hyperpolarizing Factor Pathway in Coronary Arteries After Heterotopic Heart Transplantation

In this swine model of heart transplantation, part of the reduction in endothelium-dependent relaxations to BK may be attributed to an alteration in the activity of EDHF. This impairment of EDHF-mediated relaxations may compound the endothelial dysfunction preceding the development of coronary graft vasculopathy.