EPA exists wildly in artery vascular endothelium and could be activated by endogenously activated substances and regulate the vascular tone. The endothelium-dependent vascular relaxation mediated by EPA has been used for almost 20 years as an indicator of endothelium dysfunction. In many cardio-vascular diseases, EPA function was down-regulated. The pharmacological profiles of EPA could be characterized by muscarinic properties, as well as non-muscarinic properties in selectivity for agonists and antagonists and in binding characteristics. The endogenous ligand, receptor type and molecular pharmacological characteristics of EPA are waiting to be investigated.%内皮细胞乙酰胆碱激活蛋白(EPA)介导的内皮依赖性血管舒张反应，广泛存在于哺乳动物的大小动脉血管。在心血管常见病与多发病中，EPA功能发生明显变化。EPA虽然具有经典M受体的某些特征，又与M受体不同，EPA不被毛果芸香碱激活，nmol*L-1阿托品不能取代EPA上乙酰胆碱的结合位点。EPA的内源性配体、分子药理学特征和受体类型有待于进一步研究。
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