Rat Brain Vascular Pericytes (RBVP)

Product Description

Brain Vascular Pericytes (BVP) are perivascular cells that are closely associated with the endothelium of capillaries and other small vessels [1]. BVP, located between endothelial cells and astrocytes in the brain, communicate with other cells by extending long cytoplasmic processes which wrap around the capillaries [1, 2]. BVP 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 BVP make them novel candidates for cell therapy in regenerative medicine. Cultured primary rat BVP (RBVP) are a useful in vitro model for understanding the molecular mechanisms of blood-brain barrier regulation and for studying a wide variety of central nervous system diseases.

iXCells Biotechnologies provides high quality Rat Brain Vascular Pericytes (RBVP), which are isolated from adult rat brain and cryopreserved at P1, with >0.5 million cells in each vial. RBVP express platelet-derived growth factor-ß (PDGF receptor-ß) and α-smooth muscle actin. They are negative for HIV-1, HBV, HCV, mycoplasma, bacteria, yeast, and fungi and can further expand for 5 population doublings in Pericyte Growth Medium (Cat# MD-0030) under the condition suggested by iXCells Biotechnologies.

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References

[1] Dore-Duffy P, Cleary K. (2011) "Morphology and properties of pericytes." Methods Mol Biol. 686:49-68.
[2] Allt G, Lawrenson JG. (2001) "Pericytes: cell biology and pathology." Cells Tissues Organs. 169: 1-11.
[3] Daneman R, Zhou L, Kebede A, Barres B. (2010) "Pericytes are required for blood-brain barrier integrity during embryogenesis." Nature. 468:562-566.
[4] Kutcher M, Herman I. (2009) "The pericyte: cellular regulator of microvascular blood flow." Microvasc Res. 77: 235-246.