Year: 2026
Type: editorial
Abstract: Aortic aneurysm (AA) refers to a permanent dilation and weaking of the aorta that can manifest in the thoracic aorta (TAA) and in the abdominal region (AAA).Aortic dissection (AD) is characterized by a tearing of the aortic wall in the ascending (type A) or descending (type B) region.While distinct, AA and AD are interconnected through weakening of the aortic wall and intimal tearing.Both can result in catastrophic aortic failure, hemorrhage, and fatality.1 Collectively, AA and AD can be referred to as AAD.Medial degeneration is hallmarked by the loss of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), in part driven by mechanisms of regulated cell death such as ferroptosis.2 Ferroptosis is an iron-dependent, lipid peroxidation (LPO)-mediated process that generates reactive oxygen species (ROS) and is negatively regulated by glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4).Genes promoting this pathway are upregulated in aneurysmal tissue and may contribute to AAD progression to rupture. 3 Emerging evidence links ferroptosis with bi-directional signaling through the cyclic GMP-AMP synthase-stimulator of interferon genes (cGAS-STING) axis, which senses cytosolic DNA damage, activates innate immunity via interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF3), and proinflammatory cytokine production.In preclinical AAD models, STING depletion attenuates IRF3 activation, induction of metalloproteinase-9, and VSMC death, supporting a mechanistic connection between ferroptotic cell death, innate immune signaling, and medial degeneration.4 Aspirin is one of the most widely used medications in clinical practice.It acetylates and irreversibly inhibits cyclooxygenase (COX)-1 and, at higher doses, COX-2, thereby inhibiting synthesis of prostanoids and the numerous downstream biologically active lipids underscoring the multifunctional effects of aspirin.While several randomized trials from the 1980s and 1990s suggest a benefit for aspirin in primary prevention of cardiovascular
Authors: A. Phillip Owens, Tyler W. Benson
Institution: University of Cincinnati
Language: English
Subfield: Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funder: National Institutes of Health
Awards: Defining Novel Roles of Platelets and Macrophages in the Healing of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm, Hematopoietic cells and chemokine regulation in abdominal aortic aneurysm associated thrombosis, The role of protease activated receptor 2 in the initiation and progression of abdominal aortic aneurysm
OpenAlex ID: W7204486531