Sci Rep. 2017 Jan 18;7:39676. doi: 10.1038/srep39676.

Pericytes from Mesenchymal Stem Cells as a model for the blood-brain barrier.

Tian X^1,2, Brookes O³, Battaglia G².

Abstract

Blood brain-barrier (BBB) in vitro models have been widely reported in studies of the BBB phenotype. However, established co-culture systems involve brain endothelial cells, astrocytes, neurons and pericytes, and therefore are often consuming and technically challenging. Here we use mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) as a potential substitute for pericytes in a BBB model. Both MSC and pericyte markers in 2D culture environment were evaluated on different extracellular matrix compositions. Further experiments indicated that MSC contributed in a similar manner to pericytes in a co-cultured 3D model on increasing trans-endothelial electric resistance (TEER) and decreasing permeability against macromolecules.