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Pericytes are skeletal muscle resident, multipotent stem cells that are localized to the microvasculature. In vivo, studies have shown that they respond to damage through activation of nuclear‐factor kappa‐B (NF‐κB), but the downstream effects of NF‐κB activation on endothelial cell proliferation and cell–cell signaling during repair remain unknown. The purpose of this study was to examine pericyte NF‐κB activation in a model of skeletal muscle damage; and use genetic manipulation to study the effects of changes in pericyte NF‐κB activation on endothelial cell proliferation and cytokine secretion. We utilized scratch injury to C₂C₁₂ cells in coculture with human primary pericytes to assess NF‐κB activation and monocyte chemoattractant protein‐1 (MCP‐1) secretion from pericytes and C₂C₁₂ cells. We also cocultured endothelial cells with pericytes that expressed genetically altered NF‐κB activation levels, and …