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Review
. 2021 Oct 7:15:739699.
doi: 10.3389/fncel.2021.739699. eCollection 2021.

The Structure and Function of the Glycocalyx and Its Connection With Blood-Brain Barrier

Jing Jin  1 , Fuquan Fang  2 , Wei Gao  3 , Hanjian Chen  2 , Jiali Wen  2 , Xuehua Wen  4 , Junfa Chen  4
Affiliations
Review

The Structure and Function of the Glycocalyx and Its Connection With Blood-Brain Barrier

Jing Jin et al. Front Cell Neurosci. .

Abstract

The vascular endothelial glycocalyx is a dense, bush-like structure that is synthesized and secreted by endothelial cells and evenly distributed on the surface of vascular endothelial cells. The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is mainly composed of pericytes endothelial cells, glycocalyx, basement membranes, and astrocytes. The glycocalyx in the BBB plays an indispensable role in many important physiological functions, including vascular permeability, inflammation, blood coagulation, and the synthesis of nitric oxide. Damage to the fragile glycocalyx can lead to increased permeability of the BBB, tissue edema, glial cell activation, up-regulation of inflammatory chemokines expression, and ultimately brain tissue damage, leading to increased mortality. This article reviews the important role that glycocalyx plays in the physiological function of the BBB. The review may provide some basis for the research direction of neurological diseases and a theoretical basis for the diagnosis and treatment of neurological diseases.

Keywords: blood-brain barrier; glycocalyx; neurological diseases; neurological function; neurovascular unit.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Schematic diagram of cerebral vascular endothelial glycocalyx. Syndecan and glypican are membrane-bound proteoglycans-core skeletons, to which chondroitin sulfate and heparan sulfate are connected. Syndecans are transmembrane proteoglycans. Glypicans attach to the cell surface through glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchors. Hyaluronic acid is connected to the endothelial cell membrane through the CD44 receptor.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
The intact glycocalyx can maintain the permeability of the blood-brain barrier. Damage to the glycocalyx will increase the permeability of the blood-brain barrier (for example, albumin exudation). The CAMs and PECAM hidden in the glycocalyx are exposed due to the shedding of the glycocalyx, causing the aggregation of leukocytes and platelets. CAMs, endothelial cell adhesion molecules. PECAM, platelet/endothelial cell adhesion molecule.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Mechanisms of glycocalyx damage. HPSE, Heparanase; HAase, hyaluronidase; MMPS, matrix metalloproteinases; TIMPS, tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinases; HDAC, histone deacetylase; HA, hyaluronic acid; HS, heparan sulfate; CS, chondroitin sulfate.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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