title: Pericytes in Brain Injury and Repair After Ischemic Stroke.
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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Pittsburgh Institute of Brain Disorders and Recovery, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 200 Lothrop Street, SBST 506, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA.|Department of Neurology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yatsen University, 600 Tianhe Road, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510630, China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Pittsburgh Institute of Brain Disorders and Recovery, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 200 Lothrop Street, SBST 506, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA.
authors.forename: Huan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Pittsburgh Institute of Brain Disorders and Recovery, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 200 Lothrop Street, SBST 506, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA.
authors.forename: Jingyan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Pittsburgh Institute of Brain Disorders and Recovery, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 200 Lothrop Street, SBST 506, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA.
authors.forename: Lily Y
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Pittsburgh Institute of Brain Disorders and Recovery, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 200 Lothrop Street, SBST 506, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yatsen University, 600 Tianhe Road, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510630, China. lzq1828@aliyun.com.
authors.forename: Zhengqi
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Pittsburgh Institute of Brain Disorders and Recovery, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 200 Lothrop Street, SBST 506, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA. hux2@upmc.edu.
authors.forename: Xiaoming
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Hu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000502:physiology; D001812:Blood-Brain Barrier / Q000503:physiopathology; D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply / Q000503:physiopathology; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic / Q000503:physiopathology; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology; D020286:Pericytes / Q000502:physiology*; D010587:Phagocytosis; D015427:Reperfusion Injury / Q000503:physiopathology; D020521:Stroke / Q000503:physiopathology*
keywords: Blood-brain barrier; Ischemic stroke; Neurovascular unit; Pericyte