Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2024 Oct 8;13(10):802.
doi: 10.3390/biology13100802.

The Role of Pericytes in Inner Ear Disorders: A Comprehensive Review

Antonino Maniaci  1   2 , Marilena Briglia  1 , Fabio Allia  1 , Giuseppe Montalbano  3 , Giovanni Luca Romano  1 , Mohamed Amine Zaouali  4 , Dorra H'mida  5 , Caterina Gagliano  1 , Roberta Malaguarnera  1 , Mario Lentini  1   2 , Adriana Carol Eleonora Graziano  1 , Giovanni Giurdanella  1
Affiliations
Review

The Role of Pericytes in Inner Ear Disorders: A Comprehensive Review

Antonino Maniaci et al. Biology (Basel). .

Abstract

Inner ear disorders, including sensorineural hearing loss, Meniere's disease, and vestibular neuritis, are prevalent conditions that significantly impact the quality of life. Despite their high incidence, the underlying pathophysiology of these disorders remains elusive, and current treatment options are often inadequate. Emerging evidence suggests that pericytes, a type of vascular mural cell specialized to maintain the integrity and function of the microvasculature, may play a crucial role in the development and progression of inner ear disorders. The pericytes are present in the microvasculature of both the cochlea and the vestibular system, where they regulate blood flow, maintain the blood-labyrinth barrier, facilitate angiogenesis, and provide trophic support to neurons. Understanding their role in inner ear disorders may provide valuable insights into the pathophysiology of these conditions and lead to the development of novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies, improving the standard of living. This comprehensive review aims to provide a detailed overview of the role of pericytes in inner ear disorders, highlighting the anatomy and physiology in the microvasculature, and analyzing the mechanisms that contribute to the development of the disorders. Furthermore, we explore the potential pericyte-targeted therapies, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and angiogenic approaches, as well as gene therapy strategies.

Keywords: inner ear; pathophysiology; pericyte-target therapy; pericytes; sensorineural hearing loss.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Graphical representation of inner ear disorders and related conditions that significantly affect the quality of life, including the multifactorial etiology of inner ear disorders.
Figure 2
Figure 2
(a) Anatomy of the ear with vessel distribution and organization (Copilot image creator, Microsoft designer, Bing, www.bing.com, accessed on 1 September 2024). (b) Graphic showing pericytes and their main functions in the inner ear (BioRender: Scientific Image and Illustration Software, Toronto, Canada, www.biorender.com, accessed on 1 September 2024).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Pericyte molecular patterns and inner ear diseases.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Genetics and physiological mechanisms in the pericytes (BioRender: Scientific Image and Illustration Software, www.biorender.com, accessed on 1 September 2024).
Figure 5
Figure 5
Representation of pericyte dysfunction consequences and promising therapeutic strategies for inner ear disorders.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Schematic resume of the most commonly used animal model to study pericytes in inner ear disorders [22,44,55,247,255,259,262,265,267,269,270,279].
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Smouha E. Inner Ear Disorders. NeuroRehabilitation. 2013;32:455–462. doi: 10.3233/NRE-130868. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Young A.S., Rosengren S.M., Welgampola M.S. Chapter 25—Disorders of the Inner-Ear Balance Organs and Their Pathways. In: Day B.L., Lord S.R., editors. Handbook of Clinical Neurology. Volume 159. Elsevier; Amsterdam, The Netherlands: 2018. pp. 385–401. - PubMed
    1. Figtree W.V.C., Menant J.C., Chau A.T., Hübner P.P., Lord S.R., Migliaccio A.A. Prevalence of Vestibular Disorders in Independent People Over 50 That Experience Dizziness. Front. Neurol. 2021;12:658053. doi: 10.3389/fneur.2021.658053. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Handa P.R., Kuhn A.M.B., Cunha F., Schaffleln R., Ganança F.F. Quality of Life in Patients with Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo and/or Ménière’s Disease. Braz. J. Otorhinolaryngol. 2005;71:776–782. doi: 10.1016/S1808-8694(15)31248-9. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Azaiez H., Booth K.T., Ephraim S.S., Crone B., Black-Ziegelbein E.A., Marini R.J., Shearer A.E., Sloan-Heggen C.M., Kolbe D., Casavant T., et al. Genomic Landscape and Mutational Signatures of Deafness-Associated Genes. Am. J. Hum. Genet. 2018;103:484–497. doi: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2018.08.006. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Grants and funding

This research was partially funded by MUR—PRIN 2022 PNRR (Next Generation EU, componente M4C2, investimento 1.1.), grant number P202272FJC.

LinkOut - more resources