When we think of “sugar,” we imagine sweet cravings and blood glucose levels, not our immune system. Yet, science is now revealing a surprising truth: sugars called glycans, complex carbohydrate structures found on cell surfaces, are quietly shaping the body’s immune responses.
Recently, a groundbreaking study published in Science Signaling by researchers from Lancaster University and The University of Manchester has rewritten how we understand inflammation, particularly in skin conditions like psoriasis. The research uncovers that immune cells themselves, not just blood vessels, use a sugar-rich coating to regulate how they move into tissues during inflammation.
THE GLYCOCALYX: A SUGAR SHIELD WITH A SECRET ROLE
To understand this discovery, we first need to look at something fascinating on a microscopic level. Every cell in your body wears a sugary coat known as the glycocalyx, a gel like layer made of glycoproteins and glycolipids. Think of it as a protective film that guards cells from chemical and mechanical damage.
Until recently, scientists believed this layer on blood vessel walls was the main player helping immune cells (like monocytes) exit the bloodstream and move toward inflamed tissues. However, the new research turns that idea upside down.
The study revealed that immune cells themselves possess their own glycocalyx, particularly rich in a molecule called heparan sulfate. During inflammation, these cells shed part of this sugary layer, and that shedding actually helps them squeeze through vessel walls to reach sites of tissue damage or infection.
This discovery has major implications. In psoriasis, where immune cells overreact and attack healthy skin, this shedding process becomes hyperactive, worsening inflammation and tissue damage.
WHY IT MATTERS: NEW HOPE FOR INFLAMMATORY DISEASES
These findings could transform how scientists and clinicians approach inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. Understanding how immune cells navigate through tissues is central to developing better therapies. If the glycocalyx acts like a “gatekeeper” that controls immune cell movement, then designing treatments to modify this sugar layer could open an entirely new frontier in medicine.
As Dr. Amy Saunders from Lancaster University, one of the lead researchers, explained, she hopes this discovery will “lay the foundations for future advances in inflammatory disease treatment.”
This insight doesn’t just apply to psoriasis. Many chronic diseases, from Crohn’s disease to rheumatoid arthritis, involve immune cells mistakenly attacking healthy tissue. If scientists can find a way to control glycocalyx shedding, it may become possible to regulate when and where immune cells travel, reducing harmful inflammation without broadly suppressing the immune system.
FROM INFECTION TO INFLAMMATION: TWO SIDES OF THE SAME PROCESS
It’s worth remembering that inflammation isn’t always bad. Under normal conditions, glycocalyx shedding is a healthy, protective response that helps immune cells reach infection sites quickly, allowing the body to heal and fight pathogens.
However, when this delicate system misfires or becomes overactive, it fuels chronic inflammation, a silent driver behind diseases such as psoriasis, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and neurodegenerative disorders.
Interestingly, the findings also align with previous research showing that cancer cells with a thicker glycocalyx can better evade immune detection. This dual role highlights how the same sugar layer can either protect or harm, depending on how it’s regulated.
A NEW THERAPEUTIC HORIZON: SUGARS AS DRUG TARGETS
The implications of this research go far beyond skin diseases. It opens an exciting therapeutic possibility: instead of targeting proteins or genes, future treatments might target glycans. These sugar structures could be fine-tuned to improve immune control. enhancing it to fight infections or toning it down to calm inflammation.
In fact, emerging research is already exploring this concept. For example, scientists are testing synthetic nanoparticles that mimic the glycocalyx to reduce inflammation in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Such developments suggest that glycocalyx focused therapy is not just theoretical but moving toward real world application.
TAKEAWAY: THE SWEET SIDE OF IMMUNOLOGY
The human immune system, it turns out, doesn’t just rely on cells, cytokines, and antibodies, it relies on sugars too. The glycocalyx acts as a microscopic sugar coating with massive implications for how inflammation begins and resolves.
In the coming years, medicine may include “glycocalyx-modifying drugs” that help regulate immune traffic with greater precision. This could mean safer, more targeted treatments for chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases.
Ultimately, understanding these sugar layers adds an unexpected sweetness to the science of inflammation, reminding us that even at the cellular level, balance is everything.
FAQs: HIDDEN SUGARS AND INFLAMMATION
1. What are glycans and why are they important?
Glycans are complex sugar molecules found on the surface of cells. They form part of the glycocalyx, a protective layer that helps regulate how immune cells move and communicate, especially during inflammation.
2. What is the glycocalyx?
The glycocalyx is a gel like sugar coating that surrounds cells. It protects them from damage and plays a key role in how immune cells enter tissues to fight infections or respond to inflammation.
3. What did the new study discover?
Researchers from Lancaster University and The University of Manchester found that immune cells, not just blood vessel walls, have their own glycocalyx. These immune cells shed part of it during inflammation, helping them move into tissues, a process that can worsen diseases like psoriasis.
4. How does this finding relate to psoriasis?
In psoriasis, immune cells overreact and attack healthy skin. The study shows that excessive shedding of the glycocalyx on immune cells may contribute to this overactivity, leading to chronic skin inflammation.
5. Could this discovery help treat inflammatory diseases?
Yes. By understanding how the glycocalyx controls immune cell movement, scientists may be able to develop new drugs that regulate this process. reducing harmful inflammation without weakening overall immunity.
6. Are glycans linked to other diseases?
Definitely. The glycocalyx is involved in many chronic conditions, including diabetes, heart disease, inflammatory bowel disease, and even cancer. Abnormal sugar coatings can either worsen inflammation or help cancer cells evade the immune system.
7. What might future treatments look like?
Future therapies may include “glycocalyx modifying drugs” or nanoparticles that mimic or restore the glycocalyx. These could help control immune cell movement, offering targeted and safer treatments for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.
8. Is this research still experimental?
Yes. The study provides strong laboratory evidence but further clinical research is needed before glycocalyx-based therapies become available for patients.
DISCLAIMER
This article is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Individuals with inflammatory or autoimmune conditions should consult a healthcare professional before making any treatment changes.
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REFERENCES
1. Priestley MJ, Saunders A, Dyer D, et al. Leukocytes have a heparan sulfate glycocalyx that regulates recruitment during inflammation. Science Signaling (2025). DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.adr0011
2. Lancaster University News Release, 2025. 3. Medical Xpress: Sugars on immune cells may regulate inflammatory disease process.
