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. 2023 Sep 29;11:1123405. doi: 10.3389/fped.2023.1123405

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© 2023 Arteaga and Crow.

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

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Microvasculature: (A) pericytes surround and support the capillaries, the most numerous and dynamic component of the microcirculation where gas and metabolite exchange occurs, and postcapillary venules, where endothelial cells lack tight junctions and are leakier than capillaries. (B) Representation of two endothelial cells joined transversally to maintain intact endothelium. (C) Cross sectional view of the microcirculation with red blood cells circulating in the inner section (D) Graphic representation of the glycocalyx covering the endothelial cells lining the blood vessel. The membrane bound main components include proteoglycans (syndecans, glypicans), glycoproteins (selectins, integrins). The endothelial surface layer includes hyaluronan, plasma proteins, and soluble proteoglycans. Shedding of endothelial glycocalyx (EG) components into the plasma is related to different critically ill conditions, potentially indicating the degree of endotheliopathy.