title: Molecular mechanisms of thoracic aortic dissection.
abstract: Thoracic aortic dissection (TAD) is a highly lethal vascular disease. In many patients with TAD, the aorta progressively dilates and ultimately ruptures. Dissection formation, progression, and rupture cannot be reliably prevented pharmacologically because the molecular mechanisms of aortic wall degeneration are poorly understood. The key histopathologic feature of TAD is medial degeneration, a process characterized by smooth muscle cell depletion and extracellular matrix degradation. These structural changes have a profound impact on the functional properties of the aortic wall and can result from excessive protease-mediated destruction of the extracellular matrix, altered signaling pathways, and altered gene expression. Review of the literature reveals differences in the processes that lead to ascending versus descending and sporadic versus hereditary TAD. These differences add to the complexity of this disease. Although tremendous progress has been made in diagnosing and treating TAD, a better understanding of the molecular, cellular, and genetic mechanisms that cause this disease is necessary to developing more effective preventative and therapeutic treatment strategies.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas; Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Texas Heart Institute, Houston, Texas; Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.
authors.forename: Darrell
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Ying H
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: Ludivine
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Russell
authors.forename: Joseph S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Coselli
authors.forename: Scott A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: LeMaire
mesh_terms: D000784:Aortic Dissection / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001011:Aorta / Q000473:pathology; D001013:Aorta, Thoracic / Q000473:pathology; D017545:Aortic Aneurysm, Thoracic / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001019:Aortic Rupture / Q000503:physiopathology; D018450:Disease Progression; D005109:Extracellular Matrix / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D009131:Muscle, Smooth, Vascular / Q000473:pathology; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: Aneurysm; Aortic dissection; Degeneration; Media