The endothelium is a cell layer that lines the body’s blood vessels and lymphatic vessels. These cells are necessary to maintain healthy organs, tissues, and overall body function. The cells of the ...

In the body, tissues, and cells making up the lungs, heart, and skin, for example, also have elastic qualities to support normal physiological functions. Elastin —a significant structural protein that ...

Our bodies are constantly breaking down. Over time, their built-in repair mechanisms also fail. Knee cartilage grinds away. Hip joints no longer support weight. Treatments for breast cancer and other ...

Basement membranes are extracellular matrices—flat sheets of protein and carbohydrate—that are essential for tissue architecture and function. But like all tissues, they are subject to damage. Until ...

Neural tissue normally dies quickly without oxygen. Yet bird retinas—among the most energy-demanding tissues in the animal ...