Impaired instructive and protective barrier functions of the endothelial cell glycocalyx pericellular matrix is impacted in COVID‐19 disease

• Published in: Journal of cellular and molecular medicine Vol. 28; no. 16; pp. e70033 - n/a
• Main Authors: Smith, Margaret M., Melrose, James
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01.08.2024
• Subjects: Biosensors; blood flow regulation; Blood pressure; Blood vessels; Blood-brain barrier; Blood-Brain Barrier - drug effects; Blood-Brain Barrier - metabolism; Cells; Central nervous system; COVID-19; COVID-19 - metabolism; COVID-19 - pathology; COVID-19 - virology; Cytokines; Disease; endothelial cell; Endothelial cells; Endothelial Cells - metabolism; Endothelial Cells - pathology; endothelium; Extracellular matrix; glycocalyx; Glycocalyx - metabolism; Glycoproteins; Glycosaminoglycans; Glycosaminoglycans - metabolism; glypican; Growth factors; Homeostasis; Humans; Hyaluronic acid; Hypertension; Inflammation; Information processing; Kinases; Leukocytes; Long COVID; Medical treatment; Metabolism; Molecular weight; Nitric oxide; Oxidative stress; perlecan; Permeability; Proteins; SARS-CoV-2 - drug effects; SARS-CoV-2 - metabolism; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; shear flow; Smooth muscle; smooth muscle cell regulation; syndecan; Tight junctions; Viral infections; glycocalyx; endothelium; COVID‐19; blood flow regulation; shear flow; endothelial cell; perlecan; syndecan; smooth muscle cell regulation; glypican
• ISSN: 1582-1838; 1582-4934; 1582-4934
• DOI: 10.1111/jcmm.70033

The aim of this study was to review the roles of endothelial cells in normal tissue function and to show how COVID‐19 disease impacts on endothelial cell properties that lead to much of its associated symptomatology. This places the endothelial cell as a prominent cell type to target therapeutically in the treatment of this disorder. Advances in glycosaminoglycan analytical techniques and functional glycomics have improved glycosaminoglycan mimetics development, providing agents that can more appropriately target various aspects of the behaviour of the endothelial cell in‐situ and have also provided polymers with potential to prevent viral infection. Thus, promising approaches are being developed to combat COVID‐19 disease and the plethora of symptoms this disease produces. Glycosaminoglycan mimetics that improve endothelial glycocalyx boundary functions have promising properties in the prevention of viral infection, improve endothelial cell function and have disease‐modifying potential. Endothelial cell integrity, forming tight junctions in cerebral cell populations in the blood–brain barrier, prevents the exposure of the central nervous system to circulating toxins and harmful chemicals, which may contribute to the troublesome brain fogging phenomena reported in cognitive processing in long COVID disease.