Figure 1.

EPCs interact with the neurovascular unit. In the early stage (within 24 to 48 hours), EPCs provide nutritional support for glial cells and reduce neuronal apoptosis through secreting cytokines; during the acute phase (within 1 week), EPCs repair the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and reduce cerebral edema by replacing and repairing the vascular endothelium or promoting the proliferation and migration of resident ECs, thereby reducing nerve cell injury in the ischemic penumbra; in the late acute phase (after 1 week), EPCs recover and reconstruct the neurological functions of nerve cells in the necrotic region by promoting angiogenesis, blood supply, and proliferation and migration of neuroblasts. The figure partly refer to Li et al. [63].