Nat. Rev. Nephrol. doi:10.1038/nrneph.2015.162 Figure 4 Development of atherosclerotic lesions after loss of the glycocalyx Figure 4 | Development of atherosclerotic lesions after loss of the glycocalyx. a | Normally, the endothelium (blue) is covered by the glycocalyx, which prevents the passage of proteins and lipoproteins into the subendothelial space. b | Following loss of the glycocalyx, proteins and lipoproteins can enter the subendothelial space. The associated recruitment of inflammatory cells drives formation of atherosclerotic lesions. Rabelink, T. J. & de Zeeuw, D. (2015) The glycocalyx—linking albuminuria with renal and cardiovascular disease Nat. Rev. Nephrol. doi:10.1038/nrneph.2015.162