Shi Dou, Zhang Mo, Zhang Yuhan, Shi Yang, Liu Xing, Wu Xianxian, Yang Zhiwei
Graduate School, Hebei North University, Zhangjiakou 075031, China.
Institute of Laboratory Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (CAMS) & Comparative Medicine Centre, Peking Union Medical Collage (PUMC), Beijing 100021, China.
Cells. 2025 Jul 2;14(13):1009. doi: 10.3390/cells14131009.
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.
腹主动脉瘤（AAA）是肾动脉以下最常见的主动脉疾病，由多种病因引起。目前，尚无有效的药物治疗方法，其具体发病机制仍不清楚。由于其发病隐匿且诊断具有挑战性，AAA常最终导致主动脉破裂，死亡率很高。在AAA发展过程中，血管平滑肌细胞（VSMC）会发生显著的病理改变，包括收缩功能障碍、表型调节、细胞降解以及炎症和氧化应激反应增强。特别是，新出现的证据表明血管平滑肌细胞（VSMC）代谢失调和线粒体功能障碍是AAA进展的关键因素。在本综述中，我们系统地总结了目前对VSMC生物学的认识，包括它们的发育起源、结构特征以及在主动脉壁稳态中的功能作用，以及调控VSMC表型和功能维持的调控网络。本综述强调迫切需要进一步研究主动脉壁VSMC的病理生理学，以确定AAA的新治疗靶点。这些见解可能为主动脉疾病管理中的创新治疗策略铺平道路。
