Abstract
Aortic aneurysm is a complex pathology that can be lethal if not detected in time. Although several molecular mechanisms and pathways have been identified to be involved in aortic aneurysm development and growth, the current lack of an effective pharmacological treatment highlights the need for a more thorough understanding of the factors that regulate the remodeling of the aortic wall in response to triggers that lead to aneurysm formation. This task is further complicated by the regional heterogeneity of the aorta and that thoracic and abdominal aortic aneurysm are distinct pathologies with different risk factors and distinct course of progression. ADAMs (a disintegrin and metalloproteinases) and ADAMTS (ADAMs with a thrombospondin motif) are proteinases that share similarities with other proteinases but possess unique and diverse properties that place them in a category of their own. In this review, we discuss what is known on how ADAMs and ADAMTSs are altered in abdominal aortic aneurysm and thoracic aortic aneurysm in patients, in different animal models, and their role in regulating the function of different vascular and inflammatory cell types. A full understanding of the role of ADAMs and ADAMTSs in aortic aneurysm will help reveal a more complete understanding of the underlying mechanism driving aneurysm formation, which will help towards developing an effective treatment in preventing or limiting the growth of aortic aneurysm.