QUESTIONS & ANSWERS: GLOSSARY

Glycocalyx

Jelly-like layer lining the inside of blood vessels, inside the endothelium. The layer is about half a thousandth of a millimetre thick and consists of substances combining sugar and protein elements. The layer contains minute hairs. It is thought to signal to the endothelial cells when more blood flows through an artery, so that the endothelial cells release nitric oxide to widen the artery. Damage to the glycocalyx leads to damage to the endothelial cells and is thus the first event in the development of coronary heart disease.

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