Modulation of the capillary leakage by exogenous albumin in a rat model of endothelial glycocalyx damage

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Astapenko, David^{a; b; c; *} | Zrzavecky, Marek^b | Gorskaja, Diana^b | Hyspler, Radomir^{b; d} | Ticha, Alena^d | Radochova, Vera^e | Lehmann, Christian^{f; g; h; i} | Malbrain, Manu L.N.G.^{j; k; l} | Cerny, Vladimir^{a; b; c; m; n} | Hahn, Robert G.^o

Affiliations: [a] Department of Anesthesiology, Resuscitation, and Intensive Care Medicine, University Hospital Hradec Kralove, Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic | [b] Faculty of Medicine in Hradec Kralove, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic | [c] Faculty of Health Studies, Technical University in Liberec, Liberec, Czech Republic | [d] Department of Clinical Biochemistry and Diagnostics, University Hospital Hradec Kralove, Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic | [e] Faculty of Military Health Sciences, University of Defence, Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic | [f] Department of Anesthesia, Pain Management and Perioperative Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada | [g] Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada | [h] Department of Pharmacology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada | [i] Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada | [j] First Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Therapy, Medical University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland | [k] Medical Data Management, Medaman, Geel, Belgium | [l] International Fluid Academy, Lovenjoel, Belgium | [m] Department of Anesthesiology and Resuscitation, University Hospital Kralovske Vinohrady, Prague, Czech Republic | [n] Faculty of Social Sciences and Health Care, Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra, Nitra, Slovakia | [o] Karolinska Institutet at Danderyds Hospital (KIDS), Stockholm, Sweden

Correspondence: [*] Corresponding author: David Astapenko M.D., Ph.D., MBA. Tel.: +420 608 177 374; E-mail: astapenko.d@seznam.cz.

Abstract: BACKGROUND:Endothelial glycocalyx (EG) plays a crucial role in maintaining the plasma proteins within the intravascular space. OBJECTIVE:We studied whether exogenous albumin protects the EG in an experimental model of EG enzymatic damage in rats. METHODS:Rats were divided into three groups of 10 animals that received (1) Evans blue (2) Evans blue + hyaluronidase, or (3) Evans blue + hyaluronidase + 20% human albumin via the tail vein. Spectrophotometric analysis was performed 2 h later to quantify the leakage of Evans blue-labeled albumin into the heart, lungs, brain, kidneys, liver, small intestine, spleen, and skeletal muscle. RESULTS:Administration of hyaluronidase numerically increased the capillary leakage of Evans blue in all examined tissues. Co-administration of albumin decreased the leakage of albumin in all tissues except the heart. In the lungs, the ratio between the absorbance and dry organ weight decreased from 5.3 ± 2.4 to 1.7 ± 0.5 (mean ± SD) (P < 0.002), and in the liver, the absorbance decreased from 2.2 ± 0.7 to 1.5 ± 0.4 (P < 0.011). CONCLUSION:Exogenous albumin decreased the capillary leakage of albumin which was interpreted as a sign of maintained EG integrity.

Keywords: Albumin, endothelial glycocalyx, microcirculation, evans blue, spectrophotometry

DOI: 10.3233/CH-232027

Journal: Clinical Hemorheology and Microcirculation, vol. 86, no. 4, pp. 509-517, 2024