VCAM1 and Hypertension: Endothelial injury caused by certain conditions such as hypertension or cigarette smoking, leads to endothelial cell overexpression of pro-inflammatory cytokines (interleukin-6, IL-6) and adhesion molecules (vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1); intercellular cell adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1); endothelial-leukocyte adhesion molecule-1 (E-selectin)).