Gut, brain and the Glycocalyx: A portrait of Parkinsons disease

Abstract

Parkinson's disease (PD) has generated extensive data without a unifying mechanism. Although growing evidence implicates the gut microbiome in PD pathogenesis, the gut–brain connection remains unresolved. While the nature of such interactions remains elusive, increasingly it is the glycocalyx, a nanoscale structural network lining endothelial surfaces that is emerging as a key linkage to disease mechanisms. We propose the endothelial surface layer–glycocalyx (ESL-GC) complex as the missing mechanistic interface. Within this framework, microbiome dysbiosis, disruption of ESL-GC structure and function, potassium dysregulation, other specific ion effects, and reactive gas nanobubbles act together as foundational contributors to PD pathology. This model reframes PD from a primarily dopamine-centred neurodegenerative disorder to an interface-based systems disorder and offers a coherent basis for integrating previously conflicting findings.