HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Free Full Text (PDF) Free All Versions of this Article: 104/3/845    most recent 00440.2007v1 Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (1) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Nieuwdorp, M. Articles by Vink, H. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Nieuwdorp, M. Articles by Vink, H.

INNOVATIVE METHODOLOGY

Measuring endothelial glycocalyx dimensions in humans: a potential novel tool to monitor vascular vulnerability

Departments of ¹Vascular Medicine and of ²Physiology, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam; and ³Department of Physiology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands

Submitted 23 April 2007 ; accepted in final form 18 December 2007

The endothelial glycocalyx is increasingly considered as an intravascular compartment that protects the vessel wall against pathogenic insults. The purpose of this study was to translate an established experimental method of estimating capillary glycocalyx dimension into a clinically useful tool and to assess its reproducibility in humans. We first evaluated by intravital microscopy the relation between the distance between the endothelium and erythrocytes, as a measure of glycocalyx thickness, and the transient widening of the erythrocyte column on glycocalyx compression by passing leukocytes in hamster cremaster muscle capillaries. We subsequently assessed sublingual microvascular glycocalyx thickness in 24 healthy men using orthogonal polarization spectral imaging. In parallel, systemic glycocalyx volume (using a previously published tracer dilution technique) as well as cardiovascular risk profiles were assessed. Estimates of microvascular glycocalyx dimension from the transient erythrocyte widening correlated well with the size of the erythrocyte-endothelium gap (r = 0.63). Measurements in humans were reproducible (0.58 ± 0.16 and 0.53 ± 0.15 µm, coefficient of variance 15 ± 5%). In univariate analysis, microvascular glycocalyx thickness significantly correlated with systemic glycocalyx volume (r = 0.45), fasting plasma glucose (r = 0.43), and high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (r = 0.40) and correlated negatively with low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (r = –0.41) as well as body mass index (r = –0.45) (all P < 0.05). In conclusion, the dimension of the endothelial glycocalyx can be measured reproducibly in humans and is related to cardiovascular risk factors. It remains to be tested whether glycocalyx dimension can be used as an early marker of vascular damage and whether therapies aimed at glycocalyx repair can protect the vasculature against pathogenic challenges.

endothelium; orthogonal polarization spectroscopy; glycobiology

This article has been cited by other articles:

				D. Chappell, M. Jacob, O. Paul, M. Rehm, U. Welsch, M. Stoeckelhuber, P. Conzen, and B. F. Becker The Glycocalyx of the Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cell: An Impressive Structure Ex Vivo but Not in Culture Circ. Res., June 5, 2009; 104(11): 1313 - 1317. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. C. Meuwese, H. L. Mooij, M. Nieuwdorp, B. van Lith, R. Marck, H. Vink, J. J. P. Kastelein, and E. S. G. Stroes Partial recovery of the endothelial glycocalyx upon rosuvastatin therapy in patients with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia J. Lipid Res., January 1, 2009; 50(1): 148 - 153. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]