Nanomechanics of the endothelial glycocalyx in experimental sepsis

The endothelial glycocalyx (eGC), a carbohydrate-rich layer lining the luminal side of the endothelium, regulates vascular adhesiveness and permeability. Although central to the pathophysiology of vascular barrier dysfunction in sepsis, glycocalyx damage has been generally understudied, in part beca...

Authors: Wiesinger, Véronique
Peters, Wladimir
Chappell, Daniel
Kentrup, Dominik
Reuter, Stefan Johannes
Pavenstädt, Hermann-Joseph
Oberleithner, Hans
Kümpers, Philipp
Division/Institute:FB 05: Medizinische Fakultät
Document types:Article
Media types:Text
Publication date:2013
Date of publication on miami:18.02.2014
Modification date:31.08.2022
Edition statement:[Electronic ed.]
Source:PLoS ONE 8 (2013) 11, e80905
DDC Subject:610: Medizin und Gesundheit
License:CC BY 3.0
Language:Englisch
Notes:Finanziert durch den Open-Access-Publikationsfonds 2013/2014 der Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) und der Westfälischen Wilhelms-Universität Münster (WWU Münster).
Format:PDF document
URN:urn:nbn:de:hbz:6-54319550671
Other Identifiers:DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0080905
Permalink:https://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:hbz:6-54319550671
Digital documents:journal.pone.0080905.pdf

The endothelial glycocalyx (eGC), a carbohydrate-rich layer lining the luminal side of the endothelium, regulates vascular adhesiveness and permeability. Although central to the pathophysiology of vascular barrier dysfunction in sepsis, glycocalyx damage has been generally understudied, in part because of the aberrancy of in vitro preparations and its degradation during tissue handling. The aim of this study was to analyze inflammation-induced damage of the eGC on living endothelial cells by atomic-force microscopy (AFM) nanoindentation technique. AFM revealed the existence of a mature eGC on the luminal endothelial surface of freshly isolated rodent aorta preparations ex vivo, as well as on cultured human pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells (HPMEC) in vitro. AFM detected a marked reduction in glycocalyx thickness (266 ± 12 vs. 137 ± 17 nm, P