Intimal pericytes as the second line of immune defence in atherosclerosis

Figure 1 Schema showing the organization of the intima of the arterial wall. The proteoglycan-rich layer which contains a heterogeneous population of cells, including macrovascular pericytes, is located just below the endothelial monolayer. Intimal pericytes form a network of cells interconnected through gap junctions. The muscular-elastic layer, formed by elongated contractile smooth muscular cells, lies below the proteoglycan-rich layer.