Sirch Manuel M, Wörle David, Huber Marina G, Westerhausen Christoph
Institute of Theoretical Medicine, Physiology, University of Augsburg, Augsburg 86159, Germany.
Institute of Physics, University of Augsburg, Augsburg 86159, Germany.
ACS Omega. 2025 Apr 10;10(15):14858-14865. doi: 10.1021/acsomega.4c10054. eCollection 2025 Apr 22.
The glycocalyx of endothelial cells is a dynamic, gel-like layer of glycoproteins, proteoglycans, and glycolipids that lines the luminal surface of blood vessels, playing a critical role in vascular permeability, mechanotransduction, and protection against shear stress. In this study, we investigated the in vitro adhesion of giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) composed of 1,2-dioleoyl-3-trimethylammonium-propane (DOTAP) and 1,2-dimyristoyl--glycero-3-phosphocholine (DMPC). Specifically, we examined mildly positively charged DOTAP-DMPC (20:80) GUVs, based on positively charged DOTAP and neutral DMPC but exhibiting an overall mild positive charge in physiological buffer, and neutral DMPC GUVs, which show a negative charge in physiological buffer. Adhesion to human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) was studied under three culture conditions: dynamic (intact glycocalyx), static (underdeveloped glycocalyx), and glycocalyx-shed (degraded glycocalyx). Vesicles were produced via electroformation, stained with Texas Red dye, and perfused over endothelial cells at a controlled velocity to simulate slow blood flow. Adhesion was tracked using fluorescence microscopy combined with cell segmentation techniques. Adhesion of DOTAP-DMPC vesicles was significantly enhanced-by approximately 3.5-fold-on glycocalyx-shed cells compared to cells with an intact glycocalyx. In contrast, DMPC vesicles showed no adhesion under any condition. Analysis of vesicle size distributions revealed no significant differences between adherent and nonadherent vesicles or between DOTAP-DMPC and DMPC vesicles. These findings provide insights into the role of the endothelial glycocalyx in regulating adhesion, with potential implications for tumor cell interactions with the endothelium and mechanisms underlying DOTAP-based transfection.
内皮细胞的糖萼是一层由糖蛋白、蛋白聚糖和糖脂组成的动态凝胶状层,覆盖在血管腔表面,在血管通透性、机械转导以及抵抗剪切应力方面发挥着关键作用。在本研究中,我们调查了由1,2 - 二油酰基 - 3 - 三甲基铵丙烷(DOTAP)和1,2 - 二肉豆蔻酰 - 甘油 - 3 - 磷酸胆碱(DMPC)组成的巨型单层囊泡(GUVs)的体外黏附情况。具体而言,我们研究了轻度带正电荷的DOTAP - DMPC(20:80)GUVs,其基于带正电荷的DOTAP和中性的DMPC,但在生理缓冲液中呈现总体轻度正电荷,以及中性的DMPC GUVs,后者在生理缓冲液中带负电荷。在三种培养条件下研究了它们与人脐静脉内皮细胞(HUVEC)的黏附情况:动态(完整糖萼)、静态(未发育完全的糖萼)和糖萼脱落(降解的糖萼)。囊泡通过电形成法产生,用德克萨斯红染料染色,并以可控速度灌注在内皮细胞上以模拟缓慢血流。使用荧光显微镜结合细胞分割技术跟踪黏附情况。与具有完整糖萼的细胞相比,DOTAP - DMPC囊泡在糖萼脱落的细胞上的黏附显著增强——约3.5倍。相比之下,DMPC囊泡在任何条件下均未显示出黏附。对囊泡大小分布的分析表明,黏附的和未黏附的囊泡之间或DOTAP - DMPC与DMPC囊泡之间没有显著差异。这些发现为内皮糖萼在调节黏附中的作用提供了见解,对肿瘤细胞与内皮细胞的相互作用以及基于DOTAP的转染机制具有潜在影响。