- pericyte deficiency increases the permeability of the BBB to water and a range of low-molecular- mass and high-molecular-mass tracers—affecting local blood pressure
- pericytes play critical role in the integration of neurovascular endothelial and astrocyte functions
- reduced pericyte densities correlate with increased vessel diameter and reduced vessel density 
- pericyte-deficient vessels allow larger molecules to cross the BBB 
- pericyte deficiency leads to higher risk of stroke 


Smith College

(E) Immunostaining for ACE2 protein in the mouse olfactory bulb suggests that  vascular pericytes express high level of ACE2 protein 
- Pericytes are critical for maintaining the blood-brain barrier, defining local blood pressure, mediating neuroimmune responses 
- SARS-CoV-2 attaching vascular pericytes  may cause perfusion changes or  inflammation that affect chemosensory perception in the brain


E. ACE2 expression in vascular pericytes may  affect chemosensory perception causing the loss of smell

Armulik, A., Genové, G., Mäe, M., Nisancioglu, M. H., Wallgard, E., Niaudet, C., ... & Johansson, B. R. (2010). Pericytes regulate the blood–brain barrier. Nature, 468(7323), 557-561.
DOI https://doi.org/10.1038/nature09522

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