Pericytes express markers of cellular proliferation without expansion of the pool in response to exercise-induced skeletal muscle damage

Muscle-resident stromal cells, known as pericytes, have been shown to support muscle repair and/or regeneration. However, the extent to which pericytes respond during skeletal muscle repair in humans remains relatively unknown. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the pericyte response following damage-inducing eccentric muscle contractions. Healthy, young men (21.5 ± 0.5 years, n = 22), performed maximal muscle lengthening contractions …