Inflammation in Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm: Cause or Comorbidity?

Aortic aneurysm is a potentially deadly disease. It is chronic degeneration of the aortic wall that involves an inflammatory response and the immune system, aberrant remodelling of the extracellular matrix, and maladaptive transformation of the aortic cells. This review article focuses on the role of the inflammatory cells in abdominal aortic aneurysm. Studies in human aneurysmal specimens and animal models have identified various inflammatory cell types that could contribute to formation or expansion of aneurysms. These include the commonly studied leukocytes (neutrophils and macrophages) as well as the less commonly explored natural killer cells, dendritic cells, T cells, and B cells. Despite the well-demonstrated contribution of inflammatory cells and the related signalling pathways to development and expansion of aneurysms, anti-inflammatory therapy approaches have demonstrated limitations and may require additional considerations such as a combinational approach in targeting multiple pathways for significant beneficial outcomes.