Abstract

Mesenchymal stem cells are a multipotent population of cells that have extensive capacity for differentiation, plasticity and immunosuppressive potential, making them an important tool in cell-based therapies. According to their potential, it has been determined that perivascular cells have stem cell characteristics of great clinical potential, however, the biological properties that lead to their differentiation are less understood. Recent advances in understanding the relationship between pericytes and mesenchymal stem cells pose tissue-specific functions, as well as their potential therapeutic use in ischemia, such as cerebro-vascular and a better understanding of the pathological tumor vascularization. Despite the growing acceptance that perivascular cells are related, or that they are mesenchymal stem cells, there is little experimental evidence to show the differentiation of pericytes in different cell types (Feng et al., 2010). In this review we document the biological basis of pericytes that support their use in regenerative therapy.