Do pericytes help the brain recover after a stroke?
In PDGFRβ-deficient mice after permanent MCAO, weaker pericyte-driven infarct repair tracked with less peri-infarct astrogliosis, poorer oligodendrogenesis/remyelination, and worse functional recovery.
Source
Pericyte-Mediated Tissue Repair through PDGFRβ Promotes Peri-Infarct Astrogliosis, Oligodendrogenesis, and Functional Recovery after Acute Ischemic Stroke
Inspect source passages
Do pericytes help the brain recover after a stroke?
These passages occur verbatim in the stored paper text. They support the points listed below; they do not verify every statement in the explanation.
Repair of infarct area size was significantly impaired in Pdgfrb+/– mice.
Time-dependent reduction of infarct area sizes, i.e., repair, was significantly impaired in Pdgfrb +/– mice with recovery of cerebral blood flow (CBF) in ischemic areas attenuated by defective leptomeningeal arteriogenesis and intrainfarct angiogenesis.
OPC differentiation/remyelination significantly attenuated in mutants.
Although peri-infarct proliferation of oligodendrocyte (OL) precursor cells (OPCs) was induced promptly after pMCAO regardless of intrainfarct repair, OPC differentiation and remyelination were significantly attenuated in Pdgfrb +/– mice.
What they did
They compared repair and peri-infarct remodeling after pMCAO in Pdgfrb+/– mice and tested how PDGF-BB–treated pericyte medium affects astrocytes and OPC differentiation in culture.
What they found
Repair, CBF recovery, STAT3-linked astrogliosis, OPC differentiation/remyelination, and functional recovery were impaired when pericyte PDGFRβ signaling was reduced; PCM/PDGF-BB boosted astrocyte activity and ACM+PCM/PDGF-BB enhanced myelination.
The limits
What it doesn't show
Mouse permanent-occlusion findings do not prove that boosting PDGFRβ is a safe human stroke therapy.
Key terms
- PDGFRβ
- Receptor on pericytes central to post-stroke fibrotic repair.
- Pericyte
- Vessel-associated cell that helps stabilize microvasculature and scar formation.
- pMCAO
- Permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion stroke model.
- Astrogliosis
- Reactive astrocyte response around injured brain tissue.
- OPC
- Oligodendrocyte precursor cell that can remyelinate axons.
- Oligodendrogenesis
- Generation/differentiation of oligodendrocytes after injury.
Flashcards
0 of 8 answers reviewed
Research intelligence for this paper
See its role on concept claims, tensions it is part of, placement history, and related discoveries.
Quiz yourself
Stroke model:
Common questions
Model?
Permanent MCAO in Pdgfrb+/– mice.
What failed in mutants?
Infarct size reduction, CBF recovery, astrogliosis, OPC differentiation/remyelination.
In vitro clue?
PCM/PDGF-BB activated STAT3 in astrocytes; ACM+PCM/PDGF-BB boosted OPC myelination.
Functional link?
Recovery correlated with repair and peri-infarct oligodendrogenesis.
More on Stroke & recovery