Brain-Specific Ultrastructure of Capillary Endothelial Glycocalyx and Its Possible Contribution for Blood Brain Barrier.

ABSTRACT: Endothelial glycocalyx coats healthy vascular endothelium and plays an important role in vascular homeostasis. Although cerebral capillaries are categorized as continuous, as are those in the heart and lung, they likely have specific features related to their function in the blood brain barrier. To test that idea, brains, hearts and lungs from C57BL6 mice were processed with lanthanum-containing alkaline fixative, which preserves the structure of glycocalyx, and examined using scanning and transmission electron microscopy. We found that endothelial glycocalyx is present over the entire luminal surface of cerebral capillaries. The percent area physically covered by glycocalyx within the lumen of cerebral capillaries was 40.1 ± 4.5%, which is significantly more than in cardiac and pulmonary

SUBMITTER: Ando Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6269538 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature