Intraluminal thrombus thickness is not related to lower concentrations of trace elements in the wall of infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms.
BACKGROUND
Intraluminal thrombus (ILT) formation plays a significant role in the progression of infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA). Potentially, as ILT thickness increases the availability of trace elements in the aneurysm wall could decrease thereby leading to oxidative stress and intensifying pro-inflammatory cytokine generation.


OBJECTIVE
To determine if thrombus thickness is related to the concentration of trace elements in the wall of infrarenal AAA.


METHODS
The concentrations of trace elements in the wall of the aneurysm sack and ILT obtained from 19 consecutive patients during surgery for infrarenal AAA were determined using emission spectrometry.


RESULTS
The concentrations of magnesium, zinc, manganese, and lead in the wall of AAA were significantly greater than in the ILT. Only the concentration of copper was lower in the AAA wall compared with the thrombus. The concentration of calcium, phosphorus, zinc, lead, copper, and magnesium increased with ILT thickness. The concentrations of no other trace elements in the wall of AAA were found to be related to the ILT thickness.


CONCLUSIONS
Intraluminal thrombus thickness is not associated with a lower concentration of trace elements in the wall of the infrarenal AAA. Thus, the intraluminal thrombus participates in the progression of AAA by mechanisms independent of trace element supply to the wall of the aneurysm sack.
Department of General and Vascular Surgery, Medical University of Silesia, Poland.
Damian
D
Ziaja
Department of Inorganic Chemistry, University of Silesia, Poland.
Andrzej
A
Kita
Department of Pathophysiology, Medical University of Silesia, Poland.
Joanna
J
Janowska
Department of Biophysics, Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland.
Krzysztof
K
Pawlicki
Department of Inorganic Chemistry, University of Silesia, Poland.
Barbara
B
Mikuła
Department of General and Vascular Surgery, Medical University of Silesia, Poland.
Mariola
M
Sznapka
Department of Pathophysiology, Medical University of Silesia, Poland.
Jerzy
J
Chudek
Department of General and Vascular Surgery, Medical University of Silesia, Poland. Electronic address: krzysztof.ziaja@gcm.pl.
Krzysztof
K
Ziaja
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017544:Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013927:Thrombosis / Q000150:complications* / Q000378:metabolism*; D014131:Trace Elements / Q000378:metabolism*
D014131:Trace Elements
Abdominal aorta aneurysm; Intraluminal thrombus; Trace elements