Fig. 3.

Role of the cardiac pericytes in cardiac physiology and disease. (A) Cardiac pericytes as agents of cardiac cell therapy. When injected into the infarcted heart, they enhance angiogenesis and exert other beneficial effects by paracrine mechanisms. (B) Pericytes contribute directly to cardiac fibrosis after cardiac injury by adopting fibroblast fates. They regulate microvascular stability and potentially contribute to “no reflow” after ischemia–reperfusion injury.