Glycocalyx supplement may improve cardiovascular health for psoriasis sufferers
Vascular integrity and permeability and arterial stiffness are linked to cardiovascular risk, and people living with psoriasis, a chronic autoimmune skin disease, are reported to have a higher risk of cardiovascular problems like high blood pressure and stroke.
Results of the new study found that a glycocalyx supplement called Endocalyx-Pro by Utah-based Microvascular Health Solutions led to a “remarkable improvement” in endothelial glycocalyx thickness along with substantial reduction in arterial stiffness, compared to placebo.
“We demonstrated that the addition of GDS to biological treatments resulted in robust effects in the vasculature, albeit all participants achieved significant control of psoriasis, as reflected by the reduction in PASI [psoriasis area and severity index] score,” the researchers wrote in Nutrients.
“These findings suggest that GDS could be included in the management of psoriasis to effectively reduce cardiovascular disease burden.”
Increased cardiovascular risk
Psoriasis causes increased rates of atherosclerosis, or thickening or hardening of arteries because of plaque build-up. It has also been linked to microvascular dysfunction (a type of heart disease) and aortic stiffness.
Endothelial glycocalyx is a structure that lines the inside of vascular endothelial cells. It plays a central role in regulating the permeability of blood vessels by preventing white blood cells and platelets from sticking to insides of blood vessels.
Inflammation and oxidative stress are associated with glycocalyx degradation. Scientists speculate they start early atherogenic processes and predict adverse cardiovascular outcomes—even in people without established cardiac disease. Arterial stiffness is another predictor for cardiovascular events.
Experts consider psoriasis an independent risk factor for cardiovascular events like heart failure.
The new double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study, conducted by scientists from National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, Attikon University Hospital and the GlycoCalyx Research Institute, was designed to explore how GDS impacts microvascular function and arterial elastic properties.
Study details
Fifty participants between the ages of 18 and 75 with moderate-to-severe plaque-type psoriasis were randomly assigned to receive either Endocalyx-Pro GDS or a placebo for four months. The supplement is a blend of a fucoidan polysaccharide extracted from Laminaria japonica brown algae, hyaluronic acid, OxxyneaOMD-MVHS Blend SOD (superoxide dismutase and polyphenolic enzymes derived from olive, grape and artichoke) and glucosamine sulfate.
The researchers measured markers for both endothelial glycocalyx and arterial stiffness, like endothelium glycocalyx integrity and carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV), considered a ‘gold standard’ for measuring arterial stiffness.
“Patients receiving GDS displayed substantial improvement in PBR [perfused boundary region], a metric of sublingual microvessel thickness, in concordance with the amelioration of PWV, a metric of aortic stiffness,” they concluded.
Source: Nutrients
2024, 16(15), 2572, doi: 10.3390/nu16152572
“The Effect of 4-Month Treatment with Glycocalyx Dietary Supplement on Endothelial Glycocalyx Integrity and Vascular Function in Patients with Psoriasis”
Authors: I. Ikonomidis et al.
