Pericyte

Pericytes are cells that are found around blood vessels and play an important role in maintaining the vascular wall. They form a layer of cells that surrounds the blood vessels and protects them from damage.

Pericytes are round in shape and contain many mitochondria and ribosomes, allowing them to produce energy to support their function. They also have many receptors that allow them to respond to environmental changes and regulate their activity.

One of the main functions of pericytes is to maintain the integrity of the vascular wall. They are involved in the regulation of blood flow, preventing blood leakage from blood vessels and ensuring the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to tissues.

In addition, pericytes are also involved in regulating the immune response. They can interact with immune cells such as macrophages and regulate their activity.

In general, pericytes play an important role in maintaining the health of blood vessels and the entire body. Therefore, studying them and understanding their functions can help in the development of new treatments for diseases associated with the vascular system.

What are pericytes?

Pericytes are cells of the inner lining of capillary vessels, delimiting mean arterial pressure from mean venous pressure and regulating it. Pericytes in different tissues (bone marrow and spleen, epidermis of the skin and liver, vessels of the reproductive system, occipital formations of the choroids of the eye) perform a protective or supporting function and are well differentiated morphologically. The significance of the role of pericytes in the pathology of organs and tissues has not been established.