Pericytes in Brain Injury and Repair After Ischemic Stroke
- PDF / 1,149,397 Bytes
- 15 Pages / 595.276 x 790.866 pts Page_size
- 89 Downloads / 214 Views
REVIEW
Pericytes in Brain Injury and Repair After Ischemic Stroke Wei Cai 1,2 & Huan Liu 1 & Jingyan Zhao 1 & Lily Y. Chen 1 & Jun Chen 1 & Zhengqi Lu 2 & Xiaoming Hu 1
Received: 16 August 2016 / Revised: 9 October 2016 / Accepted: 13 October 2016 # Springer Science+Business Media New York 2016
Abstract Pericytes are functional components of the neurovascular unit (NVU). They provide support to other NVU components and maintain normal physiological functions of the blood-brain barrier (BBB). The brain ischemia and reperfusion result in pathological alterations in pericytes. The intimate anatomical and functional interactions between pericytes and other NVU components play pivotal roles in the progression of stroke pathology. In this review, we depict the biology and functions of pericytes in the normal brain and discuss their effects in brain injury and repair after ischemia/reperfusion. Since ischemic stroke occurs mostly in elderly people, we also review age-related changes in pericytes and how these changes predispose aged brains to ischemic/ reperfusion injury. Strategies targeting pericyte responses after ischemia and reperfusion may provide new therapies for ischemic stroke.
Keywords Pericyte . Ischemic stroke . Neurovascular unit . Blood-brain barrier
* Zhengqi Lu [email protected] * Xiaoming Hu [email protected] 1
2
Introduction Ischemic stroke is a cerebrovascular disease caused by the sudden obstruction of a blood vessel and the loss of blood supply in related brain areas [1]. Effective treatment for ischemic stroke is rather limited and almost exclusively based on the recanalization of the occluded vessels [2–4]. However, it becomes increasingly clear that effects of recanalization on stroke outcomes are greatly influenced by the functions of different components in the neurovascular unit (NVU). The NVU is the fundamental structural and functional unit in the central nervous system (CNS). It is composed of endothelial cells (ECs), pericytes, basal lamina, astrocytes, pericapillary microglia, and neurons [5]. Pericytes are a group of contractile cells that are located between ECs, astrocytes, and neurons and almost entirely embedded within the basal lamina [6]. Pericytes provide support to other NVU components and maintain the normal physiological functions of blood-brain barrier (BBB) [7, 8]. Moreover, accumulating evidences suggest the importance of pericytes in the pathogenesis of cerebrovascular diseases, including stroke. This review focuses on the biology and functions of pericytes and discusses their effects in brain injury and repair after brain ischemia/reperfusion. Since ischemic stroke occurs mostly in elderly people, we also reviewed the age-related changes in pericytes and how these changes predispose the aged brain to ischemic/ reperfusion injury. Finally, we summarize current breakthroughs in therapeutic strategies that target at pericyte responses after stroke.
Department of Neurology, Pittsburgh Institute of Brain Disorders and Recovery, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 2
Data Loading...
