Evaluating smooth muscle cells from CaCl2-induced rat aortal expansions as a surrogate culture model for study of elastogenic induction of human aneurysmal cells.

Regression of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) via regeneration of new elastic matrix is constrained by poor elastin synthesis by adult vascular cells and absence of methods to stimulate the same. We recently showed hyaluronan oligomers (HA-o) and TGF-β1 (termed elastogenic factors) to enhance elastin synthesis and matrix formation by healthy rat aortic smooth muscle cells (RASMCs). We also determined that these factors could likewise elastogenically induce aneurysmal RASMCs isolated from periadventitial CaCl(2)-injury induced rat AAAs (aRASMCs). However, the factor doses should be increased for these diseased cell types, as even when induced, elastic matrix amounts are roughly one order of magnitude lower than those produced by healthy RASMCs. We presently investigate the dose-specific elastogenic effects of HA-o (0-20  μg/mL) and TGF-β1 (0-10  ng/mL) factors on aRASMCs and compare their phenotype and elastogenic responses to those of human AAA-derived SMCs (aHASMCs); we seek to determine whether aRASMCs are appropriate surrogate cell types to study in the context of inducing elastic matrix regeneration within human AAAs. The periadventitial CaCl(2)-injury model of AAAs exhibits many of the pathological characteristics of human AAAs, including similarities in terms of decreased SMC contractile activity, enhanced proliferation, and reduced elastogenic capacity of aneurysmal SMCs (relative to healthy SMCs) when isolated and expanded in culture. Both aRASMCs and aHASMCs can be elastogenically stimulated by HA-o and TGF-β1 and show broadly similar trends in their dose-specific responses to these factors. However, compared with aHASMCs, aRASMCs appear to be far less elastogenically inducible. This may be due to differences in maturity of the AAAs studied, with the CaCl(2)-injury induced aortal expansion barely qualifying as an aneurysm and the human AAA representing a more well-developed condition. Further study of SMCs from stage-matched CaCl(2)-injury induced rat aortal expansions and human AAAs will be necessary to more rigorously evaluate their basal and induced elastogenic responses.