Microvascular pericytes and the more recently discovered adventitial pericyte-like progenitor
cells are a subpopulation of vascular stem cells closely associated with small and large
blood vessels respectively. These populations of perivascular cells are remarkably
abundant in the heart. Pericytes control important physiological processes such as
angiogenesis, blood flow and vascular permeability. In the heart, this pleiotropic activity
makes pericytes extremely interesting for applications in regenerative medicine. On the …