What is the process of the glycocalyx breaking down?
The mediators of glycocalyx degradation are copious, and some of them are interconnected, thus creating a vicious cycle: reactive oxygen/nitrogen species (ROS/RNS), matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), hyaluronidase, and heparanase.
To put this simply, Hyaluronidase cuts Hyaluronic acid, Heparinase cuts Heparin Sulfate, MMPs cut chondriotin sulfate.
ROS and RNS are directly able to destroy glycosaminoglycans (GAGs).
Would it be bad to take hyaluronic acid? - hyaluronic acid (HA) is highly sensitive to chemical insults resulting in the generation of low-molecular-weight HA 4.
These species, in turn, activate a proinflammatory state, resulting in increased ROS/RNS production R.
Heparanase can modulate glycocalyx damage in a manifold manner (technical): R
“By degrading HS, it modulates the interaction of endothelial cells with blood cells, regulates vascular permeability, and makes adhesion molecules on endothelium more accessible to circulating inflammatory cells.
By releasing proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines bound to GAGs, it sustains inflammation, oxidative stress, and additional glycocalyx damage.
Heparanase is also able to sustain inflammation by activating Toll-like receptors (TLRs) on macrophages via heparan sulfate fragments, leading to the activation of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), which results in the expression of additional inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-8).
The same cytokines can then sustain heparanase expression on endothelial cells as well as the production of MMPs and ROS.
Heparanase also contributes to glycocalyx damage, thus increasing their procoagulant state by increasing tissue factor (TF) and modulating tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI).
Lastly, the glypicans can also undergo shedding by phospholipase-D and notum.”
Things that break down the glycocalyx
This is not an exclusive list as two main mechanisms I understand currently for glycocalyx loss are inflammation via TNF-a and cleavage by enzymes.
Smoking or vaping ANYTHING and poor air quality.
Seriously don't smoke, not even pot.
Event forest fires, bonfires, controlled burns, etc.
It will open up those tight junctions super quickly AND give you endotoxemia.
It set's you back miiiiiiillllleeeesssss.
If you want to learn more about endotoxemia, here’s my post on it.
It’s the reason why when your leaky, your sensitive to so many things in your environment (food, smell and air quality, secondary infections, etc)
So like I said, this is not an exclusive list as it would be a textbook on its own:
Dietary toxins like gluten, lectins, etc
Overexercise and overtraining (don't tell your patient to exercise when they're sick!)
Oxidative stress without a good redox status
Physical trauma, like surgery, concussion, etc
Nicotine
Viruses (incl Coxsackie, adenovirus, herpes viruses like Epstein barr, influenza)
Spike protein (so sars-cov-2 and their respective vaccines) - it blows my mind we chose spike protein as the main vaccine target as spike protein causes capillary rarification
Parasites (that increase TH2 response) and other pathogens like vector borne diseases (borrelia, malaria, Bartonella)
Dysbiosis (for example clostridia require sulfation to be detoxed and desulfovibrio bacteria make H2S which deplete the body's sulfate supplies)
Poor methylation (like homocysteine or low methionine as it impair sulfur metabolism)
Toxins - see my post on bioaccumulation, like alcohol, herbicides, pesticides, mycotoxins
Anesthesia
I hope you can see some trends here and pick up on patterns…
What else does the glycocalyx do?
Vascular System
In the enterothelium (gut system), it acts as a primary site for adhesion of commensal bacteria. R
Kidneys
In the globular cells (kidneys), it allows in the kidney to filter fluid that flows through the capillary wall towards the urine compartment to make the urine. R
Brain
In the glia (brain cells), it regulates nutrient exchange and the blood brain barrier. R
The Glycocalyx in Pathogen Invasion
Many viral, bacterial and protozoan pathogens must bind to the glycocalyx in order to invade the host and cause disease. R
The Glycocalyx and Toxins
The glycocalyx acts as a skeleton of proteoglycans which provides binding sites for microorganisms and can function as a physical barrier preventing invasion of toxins. R
The Glycocalyx with Covid and Post Viral Illnesses
Covid
In one study, those who had acute covid and had to go on a ventilator had up to 95% degradation of their glycocalyx and up to 65% in those who had it bad, but didn’t have to go on a ventilator. R
I don't know the exact number for those Long covid but I'm guessing it probably doesn't look great.
What is super neat is that when endothelial cells are covered with enough healthy glycolalyx, even Sars cov-2 could be neutralized by the effects of ROS and sACE2). R
Other Viruses
Let’s do this simply:
Influenza (flu) - The H1N1 virus induces endothelial dysfunction by causing EGX degradation in a dose-dependent fashion. R
MERS R
Ways To Restore the Glycocalyx
Rebuilding the glycocalyx takes months.
Using both high and low molecular weight sulfates work best in my personal experience.
Apart from Aterosil HP, here are some more products that I combine for a synergistic effect:
Ketosis + Beta-Hydroxybutyrate (BHB, like MCT and butyrate) R
Fucoidans (high and low molecular weights)
There are drug induced ways as well, which have more side effects in my opinion: