Capillary Stem Cells Enhance Vascular Barrier Function Revealed by the In Vitro Microvessel Model

抄録

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have received attention in the field of regenerative medicine due to their broad-ranging differentiation potential and strong secretory function. Although some studies have shown that MSC transplantation rescues blood flow, its contribution to the repair of microvasculature at the cell-to-tissue level is still obscure. To understand the mechanism of the MSC therapy for ischemic diseases, we developed a three-dimensional (3D) microvessel model cocultured with EphA7⁺ MSC-like capillary derived pericytes, termed capillary stem cells (CapSCs). It was shown that cocultured CapSCs within the collagen gel matrix tend to accumulate around the microvessel, accompanied with junctional expression VE-cadherin on the endothelial layer. In addition, the barrier function assay showed CapSCs strengthen the endothelial barrier.