Pericyte

Definition

Pericytes are contractile cells that wrap around the endothelial cells that line the capillaries and venules throughout the body. They play a key role in regulating blood flow, vascular stability, and the barrier function of capillaries.

Related terms

Endothelial Cells: These are cells that line the interior surface of blood vessels and lymphatic vessels, forming an interface between circulating blood or lymph in the lumen and the rest of the vessel wall.

Capillaries:

These are the smallest blood vessels in the body's circulatory system, involved in the exchange of water, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and many other nutrients and waste substances between blood and surrounding tissues.

Angiogenesis:

This is the physiological process through which new blood vessels form from pre-existing vessels, involving proliferation and migration of endothelial cells