Protease Expression Colocalizes to Regions of Abdominal Aortic Expansion and Stiffening in a Murine Aneurysm Model

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a complex disease defined as a pathological dilation of the vessel wall to larger than 150% of normal. Although the poor clinical outcomes associated with this disease are well known, a detailed understanding of the underlying mechanisms that lead to AAA development and expansion remains elusive. The purpose of this study was to determine if areas of increased protease expression correspond to locations of aortic stiffening and enlargement in a commonly used mouse model [1].