Neurovascular Unit: a Focus on Pericytes

The blood–brain barrier (BBB) is a highly specialized system that controls the exchanges between the blood and the central nervous system (CNS). This barrier shields the CNS from toxic substances in the blood and provides nutrients to CNS, thus playing an essential role in the maintenance of homeost...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Molecular neurobiology 2012-04, Vol.45 (2), p.327-347
Main Authors: Sá-Pereira, Inês, Brites, Dora, Brito, Maria Alexandra
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adenosine triphosphatase
Angiogenesis
Animals
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Biomedicine
Blood-brain barrier
Blood-Brain Barrier - cytology
Blood-Brain Barrier - physiology
Brain - blood supply
Brain - cytology
Brain - physiology
Capillaries - cytology
Capillaries - physiology
Cell Biology
Endothelial Cells - cytology
Endothelial Cells - physiology
Homeostasis
Humans
Nervous system
Neurobiology
Neurology
Neurosciences
Pericytes - cytology
Pericytes - physiology
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Summary:The blood–brain barrier (BBB) is a highly specialized system that controls the exchanges between the blood and the central nervous system (CNS). This barrier shields the CNS from toxic substances in the blood and provides nutrients to CNS, thus playing an essential role in the maintenance of homeostasis. The anatomical basis of the BBB is formed by the endothelial cells of brain microvasculature, with elaborated tight and adherens junctions, which together with pericytes, the basement membrane, and astrocytes, as well as neurons, microglia and oligodendrocytes form the neurovascular unit. The interaction between all these components guarantees a proper environment for neural function and a restricted permeability and transport. Pericytes were initially reported by Rouget in 1873 and since then they have been recognized as an important component of the BBB, despite the difficulty of their identification. Diverse functions have been assigned to pericytes, including a role in BBB properties, hemostasis, and angiogenesis, as well as a contractile, immune, and phagocytic function. These cells are also seen like multipotent cells and so with a great potential for therapy. Here, we review the neurovascular unit composition and the interplay between the diverse components, addressing pericytes with a particular detail.
ISSN:0893-7648
1559-1182
DOI:10.1007/s12035-012-8244-2