Pericytes are protective in experimental pneumococcal meningitis through regulating leukocyte infiltration and blood-brain barrier function.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Brain pericytes participate in the regulation of cerebral blood flow and the maintenance of blood-brain barrier integrity. Because of their perivascular localization, their receptor repertoire, and their potential ability to respond to inflammatory and infectious stimuli by producing various cytokines and chemokines, these cells are also thought to play an active role in the immune response to brain infections. This assumption is mainly supported by in vitro studies, investigations in in vivo disease models are largely missing. Here, we analysed the role of brain pericytes in pneumococcal meningitis, in vitro and in vivo in two animal models of pneumococcal meningitis.

Methods

Primary murine and human pericytes were stimulated with increasing concentrations of dif

SUBMITTER: Teske NC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10655320 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature