The Pathophysiological Role of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells in Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm
Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is the most common aortic disease occurring below the renal arteries, caused by multiple etiologies. Currently, no effective drug treatment exists, and the specific pathogenesis remains unclear. Due to its insidious onset and diagnostic challenges, AAA often culminate...
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MDPI AG
2025-07-01
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| author | Dou Shi Mo Zhang Yuhan Zhang Yang Shi Xing Liu Xianxian Wu Zhiwei Yang |
| author_facet | Dou Shi Mo Zhang Yuhan Zhang Yang Shi Xing Liu Xianxian Wu Zhiwei Yang |
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| description | Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is the most common aortic disease occurring below the renal arteries, caused by multiple etiologies. Currently, no effective drug treatment exists, and the specific pathogenesis remains unclear. Due to its insidious onset and diagnostic challenges, AAA often culminates in aortic rupture, which has a high mortality rate. During AAA development, vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) undergo significant pathological alterations, including contractile dysfunction, phenotypic modulation, cellular degradation, and heightened inflammatory and oxidative stress responses. In particular, emerging evidence implicates vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) metabolic dysregulation and mitochondrial dysfunction as key contributors to AAA progression. In this review, we systematically summarize the current understanding of VSMC biology, including their developmental origins, structural characteristics, and functional roles in aortic wall homeostasis, along with the regulatory networks governing the VSMC phenotype and functional maintenance. This review highlights the urgent need for further investigation into the aortic wall VSMC pathophysiology to identify novel therapeutic targets for AAA. These insights may pave the way for innovative treatment strategies in aortic disease management. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-cb353f9bae7149fca3704f7b9f893ea9 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2073-4409 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Cells |
| spelling | doaj-art-cb353f9bae7149fca3704f7b9f893ea92025-08-20T02:35:54ZengMDPI AGCells2073-44092025-07-011413100910.3390/cells14131009The Pathophysiological Role of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells in Abdominal Aortic AneurysmDou Shi0Mo Zhang1Yuhan Zhang2Yang Shi3Xing Liu4Xianxian Wu5Zhiwei Yang6Graduate School, Hebei North University, Zhangjiakou 075031, ChinaGraduate School, Hebei North University, Zhangjiakou 075031, ChinaInstitute of Laboratory Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (CAMS) & Comparative Medicine Centre, Peking Union Medical Collage (PUMC), Beijing 100021, ChinaInstitute of Laboratory Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (CAMS) & Comparative Medicine Centre, Peking Union Medical Collage (PUMC), Beijing 100021, ChinaInstitute of Laboratory Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (CAMS) & Comparative Medicine Centre, Peking Union Medical Collage (PUMC), Beijing 100021, ChinaInstitute of Laboratory Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (CAMS) & Comparative Medicine Centre, Peking Union Medical Collage (PUMC), Beijing 100021, ChinaInstitute of Laboratory Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (CAMS) & Comparative Medicine Centre, Peking Union Medical Collage (PUMC), Beijing 100021, ChinaAbdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is the most common aortic disease occurring below the renal arteries, caused by multiple etiologies. Currently, no effective drug treatment exists, and the specific pathogenesis remains unclear. Due to its insidious onset and diagnostic challenges, AAA often culminates in aortic rupture, which has a high mortality rate. During AAA development, vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) undergo significant pathological alterations, including contractile dysfunction, phenotypic modulation, cellular degradation, and heightened inflammatory and oxidative stress responses. In particular, emerging evidence implicates vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) metabolic dysregulation and mitochondrial dysfunction as key contributors to AAA progression. In this review, we systematically summarize the current understanding of VSMC biology, including their developmental origins, structural characteristics, and functional roles in aortic wall homeostasis, along with the regulatory networks governing the VSMC phenotype and functional maintenance. This review highlights the urgent need for further investigation into the aortic wall VSMC pathophysiology to identify novel therapeutic targets for AAA. These insights may pave the way for innovative treatment strategies in aortic disease management.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/14/13/1009abdominal aortic aneurysmvascular smooth muscle cellspathophysiologyvascular biologyaortic lesion |
| spellingShingle | Dou Shi Mo Zhang Yuhan Zhang Yang Shi Xing Liu Xianxian Wu Zhiwei Yang The Pathophysiological Role of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells in Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Cells abdominal aortic aneurysm vascular smooth muscle cells pathophysiology vascular biology aortic lesion |
| title | The Pathophysiological Role of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells in Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm |
| title_full | The Pathophysiological Role of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells in Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm |
| title_fullStr | The Pathophysiological Role of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells in Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Pathophysiological Role of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells in Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm |
| title_short | The Pathophysiological Role of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells in Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm |
| title_sort | pathophysiological role of vascular smooth muscle cells in abdominal aortic aneurysm |
| topic | abdominal aortic aneurysm vascular smooth muscle cells pathophysiology vascular biology aortic lesion |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/14/13/1009 |
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