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Glycocalyx and its Functions

Glycocalyx and its Functions

The glycocalyx is a carbohydrate-rich, fuzzy-appearing layer on the outer surface of the cell membrane. It is highly hydrophilic, because of this it attracts large amounts of water to the cell's surface. This aids the cell's interaction with the watery environment and also helps it to obtain substances dissolved in the water. It is also important for cell identification, self/non-self determination, and embryonic development and is used in cell-to-cell attachments to form tissues.

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Updated: Sep 28, 2025

Quantifying the Mechanical Properties of the Endothelial Glycocalyx with Atomic Force Microscopy

Quantifying the Mechanical Properties of the Endothelial Glycocalyx with Atomic Force Microscopy

Published on: February 21, 2013

Combined Electron Microscopy Approaches for Arterial Glycocalyx Visualization.

Laurence Chevalier¹, Jean Selim^2,3, Celia Castro¹

¹Université Rouen Normandie, CNRS, INSA Rouen Normandie- Normandie Université- GPM-UMR 6634, Rouen, France.

Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine

|March 31, 2022

Summary

Researchers developed advanced electron microscopy techniques to visualize the arterial endothelial glycocalyx, revealing structural indicators of vascular health and disease. This innovation aids in assessing endothelial dysfunction and therapeutic impacts.

Keywords:

FIBSEM tomography correlative microscopy endothelial glycocalyx ischemia-reperfusion pulmonary artery scanning electron microsopy scanning transmission electron microscopy

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Area of Science:

Vascular Biology
Cell Biology
Microscopy

Background:

The endothelial glycocalyx, composed of glycosaminoglycans and proteoglycans, is crucial for vascular health, regulating permeability, mechanotransduction, and inflammation.
Alterations in glycocalyx structure are linked to endothelial dysfunction and peripheral vascular diseases, necessitating detailed ultrastructural analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop novel electron microscopy methods for visualizing the arterial endothelial glycocalyx at the subcellular level.
To characterize the glycocalyx ultrastructure under physiological and pathological conditions.

Main Methods:

Utilized lanthanum ion-enriched aldehyde fixatives for enhanced glycocalyx staining in Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM).
Employed Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) on serial sections for large-field imaging and correlative TEM for fine details.
Applied dual-beam Focus-Ion-Beam SEM (FIB-SEM) tomography to visualize the dynamic 3D structure of the glycocalyx.

Main Results:

Successfully visualized and characterized the pulmonary artery glycocalyx ultrastructure in rats.
Identified structural indicators of arterial endothelial glycocalyx integrity using combined SEM, TEM, and FIB-SEM.
Demonstrated the feasibility of multiscale visualization of the glycocalyx on the same sample.

Conclusions:

The developed electron microscopy approaches enable detailed, multiscale visualization of the endothelial glycocalyx.
These techniques are valuable for evaluating endothelial injury and the efficacy of treatments for vascular diseases.