mural cell

Inhibition of cyclooxygenase-2 disrupts tumor vascular mural cell recruitment and survival signaling.

Mural cells have contractile function.

The weakness and disorganization of tumor vasculature is partly due to the inability of tumors to recruit properly organized mural cells.

It has also been demonstrated that similar precursor cells may give rise to both endothelial cells and perivascular mural cells [ 57].

The term mural cell refers generally to vascular smooth muscle cells and pericytes, both involved in the formation of normal vasculature and responsive to vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF).

Also known as Rouget cells or mural cells, pericytes are embedded in basement membrane where they communicate with endothelial cells of the body's smallest blood vessels by means of both direct physical contact and paracrine signaling.

It has been speculated that VEGF-A alone may not be sufficient to form stable, mature vessels that are characterized by the recruitment of the perivascular mural cells, such as pericytes or smooth muscle cells [ 48].