[Correlation between age, arteriosclerosis and elastinolytic activity of human aorta wall].

An elastolytic protease was isolated recently from human and animal aortic wall. We report here the positive correlation between the activity of human aortic elastase, the degree of atherosclerosis and age. These two parameters appear to influence independently and in an additive fashion the level of aortic elastase. There appears to be an increasing synthesis and/or liberation of aortic elastase with age. This process is accelerated in the presence of arteriosclerosis. It appears probable that the increasing elastolytic activity is mainly responsible for the fregmentation and lysis of the elastic fibers with age and arteriosclerosis as observed with histochemical techniques.