Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacology, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand; Centre for Brain Research, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacology, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand; Centre for Brain Research, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
Trends Pharmacol Sci. 2017 Mar;38(3):291-304. doi: 10.1016/j.tips.2016.12.001. Epub 2016 Dec 22.
Brain pericytes are perivascular cells that regulate capillary function, and this localization puts them in a pivotal position for the regulation of central nervous system (CNS) inflammatory responses at the neurovascular unit. Neuroinflammation, driven by microglia and astrocytes or resulting from peripheral leukocyte infiltration, has both homeostatic and detrimental consequences for brain function and is present in nearly every neurological disorder. More recently, brain pericytes have been shown to have many properties of immune regulating cells, including responding to and expressing a plethora of inflammatory molecules, presenting antigen, and displaying phagocytic ability. In this review we highlight the emerging role of pericytes in neuroinflammation and discuss pericyte-mediated neuroinflammation as a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of a range of devastating brain disorders.
脑周细胞是血管周围的细胞，可调节毛细血管功能，这种定位使它们在神经血管单元中处于调节中枢神经系统（CNS）炎症反应的关键位置。由小胶质细胞和星形胶质细胞驱动或由外周白细胞浸润引起的神经炎症对大脑功能既有稳态影响，也有有害影响，几乎存在于每种神经疾病中。最近，脑周细胞已被证明具有许多免疫调节细胞的特性，包括对多种炎症分子作出反应和表达这些分子、呈递抗原以及表现出吞噬能力。在这篇综述中，我们强调了周细胞在神经炎症中的新作用，并讨论了周细胞介导的神经炎症作为治疗一系列严重脑疾病的潜在治疗靶点的作用。
