Pericytes: Problems and Promises for CNS Repair

Fabio Laredo; Julia Plebanski; Andrea Tedeschi

doi:10.3389/fncel.2019.00546

Pericytes: Problems and Promises for CNS Repair

Front Cell Neurosci. 2019 Dec 6:13:546. doi: 10.3389/fncel.2019.00546. eCollection 2019.

Authors

Fabio Laredo^{1

2}, Julia Plebanski¹, Andrea Tedeschi^{1

3}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Neuroscience, Wexner Medical Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States.
² Department of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom.
³ Discovery Theme on Chronic Brain Injury, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States.

Abstract

Microvascular complications are often associated with slow and progressive damage of various organs. Pericytes are multi-functional mural cells of the microcirculation that control blood flow, vascular permeability and homeostasis. Whereas accumulating evidence suggests that these cells are also implicated in a variety of diseases, pericytes represent promising targets that can be manipulated for therapeutic gain. Here, we review the role of pericytes in angiogenesis, blood-brain barrier (BBB) function, neuroinflammation, tissue fibrosis, axon regeneration failure, and neurodegeneration. In addition, we outline strategies altering pericyte behavior to point out problems and promises for axon regeneration and central nervous system (CNS) repair following injury or disease.

Keywords: angiogenesis; axon regeneration; blood brain barrier (BBB); fibrotic scar; neurodegenerative diseases; neurovascular inflammation; pericyte.

Abstract

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