Located on the luminal surface of vascular endothelial cells, the glycocalyx is composed of a negatively charged mesh of proteoglycans, glycosaminoglycans, glycoproteins and glycolipids and harbors a wide array of enzymes that contribute in regulation of leukocyte-/thrombocyte adherence, with a principal role in plasma and vessel wall homeostasis. Glycocalyx disruption is accompanied by enhance...

Because adenosine is commonly used for inducing maximal coronary hyperemia in the clinic, it is imperative that adenosine-induced hyperemia (AH) resembles coronary hyperemia that can be attained by endogenous stimuli. In the present study we hypothesized that coronary reactive hyperemia (RH) is limited compared with AH due to the presence of the glycocalyx and that the AH response is therefore ...

The mechanical properties of endothelial glycocalyx were studied using atomic force microscopy with a silica bead (diameter ∼18 μm) serving as an indenter. Even at indentations of several hundred nanometers, the bead exerted very low compressive pressures on the bovine lung microvascular endothelial cell (BLMVEC) glycocalyx and allowed for an averaging of stiffness in the bead-cell contact area...

The glycocalyx is a sugar-rich layer located at the luminal part of the endothelial cells. It is involved in key metabolic processes and its malfunction is related to several diseases. To understand the function of the glycocalyx, a molecular level characterization is necessary. In this article, we present large-scale molecular-dynamics simulations that provide a comprehensive description of th...

To investigate the charge effect of the endothelial surface glycocalyx on microvessel permeability, we extended the three-dimensional model developed by Fu et al. (J Biomech Eng 116: 502-513, 1994) for the interendothelial cleft to include a negatively charged glycocalyx layer at the entrance of the cleft. Both electrostatic and steric exclusions on charged solutes were considered within the gl...

AIMS Inflammation is pivotal in atherosclerosis and a key early step is endothelial dysfunction. C-reactive protein, the prototypic marker of inflammation, and cardiovascular risk marker have been shown to promote atherogenesis. Increased levels of C-reactive protein are associated with endothelial dysfunction. The glycocalyx decorates the luminal surface and affords critical protection of the ...

Glycosaminoglycan hyaluronan (HA), a major constituent of the endothelial glycocalyx, helps to maintain vascular integrity. Preconditioning the heart with volatile anesthetic agents protects against ischemia/reperfusion injury. We investigated a possible protective effect of sevoflurane on the glycocalyx, especially on HA. The effect of pre-ischemic treatment with sevoflurane (15 minutes at 2% ...

OBJECTIVE A thick endothelial glycocalyx provides the endothelial surface with a nonadherent shield. Oxidized LDL (Ox-LDL) degrades the endothelial glycocalyx. We hypothesized that glycocalyx degradation stimulates leukocyte-endothelial cell adhesion, whereas intravascular supplementation with sulfated polysaccharides reconstitutes the endothelial glycocalyx and attenuates Ox-LDL-induced leukoc...

Changes in endothelial glycocalyx are one of the earliest changes in development of cardiovascular disease. The endothelial glycocalyx is both an important biological modifier of interactions between flowing blood and the vessel wall, and a determinant of organ perfusion. We hypothesize that deeper penetration of erythrocytes into the glycocalyx is associated with reduced microvascular perfusio...

In recent years, the endothelial cell surface glycocalyx has emerged as a structure of fundamental importance to a broad range of phenomena that determine cardiovascular health and disease. This new understanding of the functional significance of the glycocalyx has been made possible through recently developed experimental techniques using intravital microscopy that are capable of directly prob...