Central nervous system pericytes are perivascular cells that are
closely associated with the endothelium of capillaries and other small
vessels [1]. Pericytes, located near endothelial cells, communicate
with other cells by extending long cytoplasmic processes which wrap
around the capillaries [1, 2]. Pericytes participate in a variety of
processes including angiogenesis, endothelial cell survival, regulation
of capillary blood flow, and establishment and maintenance of the
blood-brain barrier [3, 4]. Pericyte dysregulation has been linked to
several pathological conditions such as hypertension, diabetic
retinopathy, atherosclerosis, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease,
and tumor angiogenesis [2, 4]. The unique and diverse functions of
pericytes make them novel candidates for cell therapy in regenerative
medicine. Leptomeningeal pericytes (LP) are derived from the
leptomeningeal layer surrounding the brain. Cultured human
leptomeningeal pericytes (HLP) are a useful in vitro model for studying a wide variety of central nervous system diseases.
HLP from ScienCell Research Laboratories are isolated from human
brain. HLP are cryopreserved at passage one after purification and
delivered frozen. Each vial contains >5 x 10^5 cells in 1 ml volume.
HLP are characterized by immunofluorescence with antibody specific to
a-smooth muscle actin and platelet derived growth factor-b (PDGF-b). HLP
are negative for HIV-1, HBV, HCV, mycoplasma, bacteria, yeast, and
fungi. HLP are guaranteed to further expand for 15 population doublings
under the conditions provided by ScienCell Research Laboratories.
Recommended Medium:
It is recommended to use Pericyte Medium (PM, Cat. #1201) for culturing HLP in vitro.
