查看文章

Interstitial and perivascular fibrosis may contribute to diabetes‐associated heart failure. Pericytes can convert to fibroblasts under conditions of stress and have been implicated in the pathogenesis of fibrotic diseases. We hypothesized that in diabetic hearts, pericytes may convert to fibroblasts, contributing to fibrosis and to the development of diastolic dysfunction.

Using pericyte:fibroblast dual reporter (NG2^Dsred [neuron‐glial antigen 2 red fluorescent protein variant]; PDGFRα^EGFP [platelet‐derived growth factor receptor alpha enhanced green fluorescent protein]) mice in a type 2 diabetic db/db background, we found that diabetes does not significantly affect pericyte density but reduces the myocardial pericyte:fibroblast ratio. Lineage tracing using the inducible NG2^CreER driver, along with reliable labeling of fibroblasts with the PDGFRα reporter system, showed no significant …