The Glycocalyx: The Importance of Sugar Coating the Blood-Brain Barrier

The endothelial glycocalyx (GCX), located on the luminal surface of vascular endothelial cells, is composed of glycoproteins, proteoglycans, and glycosaminoglycans. It plays a pivotal role in maintaining blood–brain barrier (BBB) integrity and vascular health within the central nervous system (CNS),...

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Published inInternational journal of molecular sciences Vol. 25; no. 15; p. 8404
Main Authors Dancy, Candis, Heintzelman, Kaitlyn E, Katt, Moriah E
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Basel MDPI AG 01.08.2024
Subjects
BBB disruption
Blood vessels
blood–brain barrier
Brain research
Chondroitin sulfate
Development and progression
Disease
drug delivery
Endothelium
glycocalyx
Glycoproteins
Glycosaminoglycans
Health aspects
Heparan sulfate
Homeostasis
Infections
Inflammation
ischemic stroke
Microscopy
neuroinflammation
Pathogens
Permeability
Proteins
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
Toxins
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Summary:The endothelial glycocalyx (GCX), located on the luminal surface of vascular endothelial cells, is composed of glycoproteins, proteoglycans, and glycosaminoglycans. It plays a pivotal role in maintaining blood–brain barrier (BBB) integrity and vascular health within the central nervous system (CNS), influencing critical processes such as blood flow regulation, inflammation modulation, and vascular permeability. While the GCX is ubiquitously expressed on the surface of every cell in the body, the GCX at the BBB is highly specialized, with a distinct composition of glycans, physical structure, and surface charge when compared to GCX elsewhere in the body. There is evidence that the GCX at the BBB is disrupted and partially shed in many diseases that impact the CNS. Despite this, the GCX has yet to be a major focus of therapeutic targeting for CNS diseases. This review examines diverse model systems used in cerebrovascular GCX-related research, emphasizing the importance of selecting appropriate models to ensure clinical relevance and translational potential. This review aims to highlight the importance of the GCX in disease and how targeting the GCX at the BBB specifically may be an effective approach for brain specific targeting for therapeutics.
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ISSN:1422-0067
1661-6596
1422-0067
DOI:10.3390/ijms25158404