Brain Vascular Pericytes (BVP) are perivascular cells that are closely associated with the endothelium of capillaries and other small vessels [1]. BVP, located between endothelial cells and astrocytes in the brain, communicate with other cells by extending long cytoplasmic processes which wrap around the capillaries [1, 2]. BVP participate in a variety of processes including angiogenesis, endothelial cell survival, regulation of capillary blood flow, and establishment and maintenance of the blood-brain barrier [3, 4]. Pericyte dysregulation has been linked to several pathological conditions such as hypertension, diabetic retinopathy, atherosclerosis, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, and tumor angiogenesis [2, 4]. The unique and diverse functions of BVP make them novel candidates for cell therapy in regenerative medicine. Cultured primary rat BVP (RBVP) are a useful in vitro model for understanding the molecular mechanisms of blood-brain barrier regulation and for studying a wide variety of central nervous system diseases.

RBVP from ScienCell Research Laboratories are isolated from adult rat brain. RBVP are cryopreserved at passage one and delivered frozen. Each vial contains >5 x 10^5 cells in 1 ml volume. RBVP are characterized by immunofluorescence with antibody specific to platelet-derived growth factor-ß (PDGF receptor-ß) and α-smooth muscle actin. RBVP are negative for mycoplasma, bacteria, yeast, and fungi. RBVP are guaranteed to further expand for 5 population doublings under the conditions provided by ScienCell Research Laboratories.

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