Fig. 7From: Unique and shared inflammatory profiles of human brain endothelia and pericytesContributions of vascular inflammation to neuroinflammatory processes. a Under normal conditions pericyte secretion of CX3CL1 and IGFBP2 and IGFBP3 may be important to the regulation of inflammation and vascular stability. Pericytes basally express low levels of VCAM-1, while endothelia express ICAM-1. b The neurovasculature can be affected by inflammation arising in the brain (e.g. epilepsy, infection, AD) or the periphery (e.g. MS, sepsis). Inflammation disrupts BBB stability by acting on endothelia. Cytokines also activate both pericytes and endothelia to secrete chemoattractants, and upregulate ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 expression. These encourage the recruitment and infiltration of peripheral immune cells through the weakened BBB, where IL-6, CX3CL1, G-CSF, and GM-CSF determine their differentiation and activation. Chemoattractants also encourage the recruitment of microglia and their processes to the vasculature, leading to vascular microglial clusteringBack to article page