Brain Vascular Pericytes (BVP) are perivascular cells that are
closely associated with the endothelium of capillaries and other small
vessels . BVP, located between endothelial cells and astrocytes in
the brain, communicate with other cells by extending long cytoplasmic
processes which wrap around the capillaries. 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 . Pericyte dysregulation has been
linked to several pathological conditions such as hypertension, diabetic
retinopathy, atherosclerosis, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease,
and tumor angiogenesis. 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.
RBVP from ScienCell Research Laboratories are isolated from ***** rat
brain. RBVP are cryopreserved at passage one and delivered frozen. Each
vial contains >5 x 10^5 cells in 1 ml volume. RBVP are characterized
by immunofluorescence with antibody specific to platelet-derived growth
factor-ß (PDGF receptor-ß) and α-smooth muscle actin. RBVP are negative
for mycoplasma, bacteria, yeast, and fungi. RBVP are guaranteed to
further expand for 5 population doublings under the conditions provided
by ScienCell Research Laboratories.
Recommended Medium
It is recommended to use Pericyte Medium (PM, Cat. #1201) for culturing RBVP in vitro.
