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Updated: Feb 15, 2026

Isolation and Primary Culture of Mouse Aortic Endothelial Cells
Published on: December 19, 2016
Chances and limitations of isolated mouse heart models for investigating the endothelial glycocalyx1
Florian Brettner1,2, Joshua Darling1, Edith-Cathrin Baeuml1
1Department of Anaesthesiology, University Hospital of Munich (LMU), Munich, Germany.
Background:
The endothelial glycocalyx plays a decisive role in maintaining vascular homeostasis. Previous animal models have mainly focused on in-vitro experiments or the isolated beating guinea pig heart. To further evaluate underlying mechanisms of up- and down regulation, knock-out animals seem to be a promising option.
Objective:
Aim of the present study was to evaluate if an isolated mouse-heart model is suitable for glycocalyx research.
Methods:
Isolated beating mouse hearts (C57/Bl6J) underwent warm, no-flow ischemia and successive reperfusion. Coronary effluent was analyzed by ELISA and Western blot for the glycocalyx core protein: syndecan-1. Hearts were prepared for either immunofluorescence or electron microscopy and lysed for Western blot analysis.
Results:
An endothelial glycocalyx covering the total capillary circumference and syndecan-1 were detected by electron and immunofluorescence microscopy. Ischemia/reperfusion seriously deteriorated both findings. Confoundingly, syndecan-1 was not detectable either in the coronary effluent or in the lysates of blood-free hearts by ELISA or Western blot technique.
Conclusions:
Blood vessels of mouse hearts contain an endothelial glycocalyx comparable to that of other animals also with respect to its core protein syndecan-1. But, for studies including quantification of intravascular soluble glycocalyx constituents, the amount of syndecan-1 in mouse hearts seems to be too low.
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