Fig. 3.

Plasma but Not Platelet Resuscitation Prevents Shedding of the Endothelial Glycocalyx. To induce vascular injury, perfusate with TNF-α (1 μg/mL) was dripped onto the cremaster prep in C57BL/6 mice and covered with thin plastic for ten minutes [153]. Temperature was maintained by dripping warm superfusate onto the plastic. At the same time as TNF-α administration, a bolus of 200 µL of fresh frozen plasma or platelets was administered via the femoral cannula. Shams were uninjured. After treatment a 100 µL bolus of 2 mg/ml FITC-tagged 70kD dextran in saline was administered via the femoral cannula. Vessels were recorded for the next 30 min. Glycocalyx thickness was determined by comparing the width of the dextran column to the width of the vessels, as 70 kD dextran is excluded from the glycocalyx layer. (A) Representative vessel images depicting glycocalyx thickness measurements. (B) Mean ± SD for each group: Sham 0.76 ± 0.46 μm, TNF-α 0.08 ± 0.11 μm, TNF-α + FFP 0.58 ± 0.38 μm, and TNF-α + PLT 0.21 ± 0.25 μm. FFP = fresh frozen plasma; PLT = platelets. *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01 by one-way ANOVA with post-hoc Tukey test.