Vascular smooth muscle cell remodelling in elastase-induced aortic aneurysm.
OBJECTIVE; ; The objective of this study was to identify developmental changes in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) during aneurysm formation using an elastase-induced rabbit carotid artery aneurysm model.


METHODS
- Aneurysms were induced in carotid arteries of rabbits by exposure to elastase. Tissues from developing aneurysms were isolated at various time points for histological, immunohistochemical and RT-PCR analysis.


RESULTS
During aneurysm growth, the vascular media became thinner and elastic fibres became fragmented.The expression of smooth muscle marker SM22alpha and cytoskeleton proteins (SM alpha-actin, beta-tubulin and desmin) expression was decreased while platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) was increased, which correlated with a remodelling ofVSMC from contractile to synthetic functions.


CONCLUSIONS
During the development of aneurysm, despite the induction of apoptosis, VSMC undergoes a remodelling from a contractile phenotype to a synthetic phenotype as a potential repair mechanism. Further studies may reveal the causative effects between these events.
The First Affiliated Hospital of Suzhou University Neurosurgery,Suzhou University, City of SuZhou, Jiangsu, P.R. China.
Lei
L
Jiao
Zheng
Z
Xu
Feng
F
Xu
Shiming
S
Zhang
Kaiyun
K
Wu
D000818:Animals; D001014:Aortic Aneurysm / Q000473:pathology*; D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000473:pathology; D002343:Carotid Artery, Internal; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D018450:Disease Progression; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D020287:In Situ Nick-End Labeling; D008840:Microfilament Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D009124:Muscle Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D009131:Muscle, Smooth, Vascular / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D010982:Platelet-Derived Growth Factor / Q000378:metabolism; D011817:Rabbits; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D008840:Microfilament Proteins; D009124:Muscle Proteins; D010982:Platelet-Derived Growth Factor; C051615:transgelin