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Emerging Roles of Pericytes in Coordinating Skeletal Muscle Functions: Implications and Therapeutic Potential

  • Pericytes (A Birbrair, Section Editor)
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Abstract

Purpose of Review

Capillaries are composed of endothelial cells that are partially wrapped by a mural cell known as a pericyte. There is growing interest in the functional roles of pericytes within the skeletal muscle microcirculation and how they might ultimately influence skeletal muscle functions.

Recent Findings

Generally, pericytes are thought to stabilize the capillary structure, modify endothelial cell functions, and participate in the process of new capillary formation, angiogenesis. Based on their structural organization and phenotypic behaviors, pericytes are postulated to perform a broad set of roles within the skeletal muscle that may include coordinating tissue homeostasis in healthy muscle and during the regeneration processes in damaged muscle. These functions indicate potential therapeutic opportunities targeting or utilizing pericytes to improve muscle health under pathophysiological conditions such as diabetes or muscle ischemia.

Summary

This review will discuss the current knowledge of skeletal muscle pericyte phenotype and function and the evidence supporting the influence of pericytes in skeletal muscle health under physiological and pathological states.

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Acknowledgements

Some elements within the schematic figures were generated using Biorender.com. Funding to TLH from Natural Science and Research Council of Canada.

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  1. School of Kinesiology and Health Science and the Muscle Health Research Centre, Faculty of Health, York University, 4700 Keele St, Toronto, ON, M3J 1P3, Canada

    Emmanuel Nwadozi & Tara L. Haas

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  1. Emmanuel Nwadozi
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  2. Tara L. Haas
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Correspondence to Tara L. Haas.

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Nwadozi, E., Haas, T.L. Emerging Roles of Pericytes in Coordinating Skeletal Muscle Functions: Implications and Therapeutic Potential. Curr. Tissue Microenviron. Rep. 2, 29–39 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43152-021-00029-w

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