Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death in the industrialized countries. The
cardiovascular system includes the systemic blood circulation, the heart and the pulmonary
circulation providing sufficient blood flow and oxygen to peripheral tissues and organs
according to their metabolic demand. This review focuses on three major cell types of the
cardiovascular system: myocytes of the heart as well as smooth muscle cells and endothelial
cells from the systemic and pulmonary circulation. Ion channels initiate and regulate …