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Creation of a Rodent Model of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm by Blocking Adventitial Vasa Vasorum Perfusion
Published on: November 8, 2017
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Understanding the pathogenesis of abdominal aortic aneurysms
Helena Kuivaniemi1, Evan J Ryer, James R Elmore
1a 1 Sigfried and Janet Weis Center for Research, Geisinger Health System, Danville, PA 17822, USA.
Expert Review of Cardiovascular Therapy
|August 27, 2015
Summary
Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) are dilatations of the aorta that can rupture, causing high mortality. Identifying risk factors and understanding AAA pathobiology are crucial for developing treatments.
Area of Science:
- Vascular Biology
- Genetics
- Pathophysiology
Background:
- An aortic aneurysm is defined as aortic dilatation with a diameter ≥3.0 cm.
- Untreated aneurysms weaken the aortic wall, leading to rupture with 50-80% mortality.
- Smoking and family history are key risk factors for abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA).
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the current understanding of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) pathogenesis.
- To highlight the need for large-scale multi-omics studies to identify novel risk factors and biomarkers.
- To emphasize the importance of international collaboration for developing pharmacological treatments for AAA.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on aortic aneurysm pathogenesis.
- Discussion of histological hallmarks including inflammation, smooth muscle cell apoptosis, extracellular matrix degradation, and oxidative stress.
- Anticipation of future large-scale genetic, genomic, epigenetic, proteomic, and metabolomic studies.
Main Results:
- Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) are characterized by specific histological changes.
- Several genetic risk factors for AAA have been identified.
- Significant knowledge gaps remain in understanding AAA pathobiology and identifying comprehensive risk factors.
Conclusions:
- Further large-scale multi-omics research is essential for advancing AAA understanding.
- Identifying novel biomarkers and risk factors will facilitate early detection and intervention.
- Collaborative efforts are critical for developing effective pharmacological treatments for abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA).
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