Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 5, 2025
Porcine Model of Infrarenal Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm
Published on: November 21, 2019
Atrial natriuretic peptide does not degrade the endothelial glycocalyx: A secondary analysis of a randomized porcine
Tor Damén1, Oscar Kolsrud2, Göran Dellgren2,3
1Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Institute of Clinical Sciences at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, and Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Section of Cardiothoracic Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Background:
The atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) released from the heart regulates intravascular volume and is suspected to increase capillary permeability. Contradictory results regarding ANP and glycocalyx degradation have been reported. The aim of this study was to investigate if an infusion of ANP causes degradation of the endothelial glycocalyx.
Methods:
Twenty pigs, pretreated with 250 mg methylprednisolone, were randomized to receive an infusion of either ANP (50 ng/kg/min) (n = 10) or 0.9% NaCl (n = 10) during 60 min. Endothelial glycocalyx components (heparan sulphate proteoglycan and hyaluronic acid), Hct, calculated plasma volume and colloid osmotic pressure were measured from baseline to 60 min.
Results:
There was no difference between the control and intervention groups for heparan sulphate proteoglycan and hyaluronic acid corrected for the change in plasma volume (P = .333 and 0.197). Hct increased with 1.8 ± 2.2% in the intervention group (P = .029) with no change -0.5 ± 2.3% in the control group (P = .504). The plasma volume decreased in the intervention group with -8.4 ± 10% (P = .034) with no change in the control group 3.1 ± 12% (P = .427). Median changes in colloid osmotic pressures in the control and intervention group were -0.39 [95% CI, -1.88-0.13] and 0.9 [95% CI, 0.00-1.58], respectively (P = .012).
Conclusions:
In this randomized porcine study, an ANP infusion did not cause endothelial glycocalyx degradation but decreased the plasma volume most probably due to precapillary vasodilation and increased filtration.
