Novel Directly Reprogrammed Smooth Muscle Cells Promote Vascular Regeneration as Microvascular Mural Cells.

Background: Although cell therapy has emerged as a promising approach to promote neovascularization, its effects are mostly limited to capillaries. To generate larger or stable vessels, layering of mural cells such as smooth muscle cells (SMCs) or pericytes is required. Recently, direct reprogramming approaches have been developed for generating SMCs.