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. 2023 Nov;18(11):2395-2396.
doi: 10.4103/1673-5374.371362.

Wrapping up the role of pericytes in Parkinson's disease

Taylor John Stevenson  1 , Birger Victor Dieriks  2
Affiliations

Wrapping up the role of pericytes in Parkinson's disease

Taylor John Stevenson et al. Neural Regen Res. 2023 Nov.
No abstract available

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

None

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The neurovascular unit and the involvement of pericytes in Parkinson’s disease pathogenesis. (A) Diagram displays the neurovascular unit (NVU)’s essential components in the human brain and their close interactions. (B) Diagram shows the evolution of Parkinson’s disease in pericytes. In healthy brains, pericytes have phagocytic capabilities, can respond to and release various cytokines through an inflammatory response mediated by nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) translocation, expression of various adhesion molecules such as intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1), vascular adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM-1) and can be antigen-presenting through the expression of major histocompatibility complex class II (MHC II). Additionally, they play an active role in maintaining the blood-brain barrier (BBB) health. In Parkinson’s disease, α-synuclein accumulates in pericytes. Pericytes become overloaded by α-synuclein accumulation and dysfunction of the degradation pathways. Dysfunction of the degradation pathways causes an increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, ultimately leading to cell death and inflammation. Cell death at the BBB results in a cascading reaction, affecting nearby cells and accelerating the degenerative processes of Parkinson’s disease. Created with BioRender.com.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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