This Article  • References  • Full text PDF  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citation map  • Citing articles on HighWire  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in this journal  Social Bookmarking   What's this?

Anita K. Gregory, MD; Nancy X. Yin, MD; Joseph Capella, MD; Simon Xia, MS; Karen M. Newman, PhD; M. David Tilson, MD

Arch Surg. 1996;131(1):85-88.

Abstract
Purpose
Previous work has revealed that nonspecific abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) have a prominent infiltration of inflammatory cells and that soluble extracts of AAA tissue are rich in immunoglobulins. These observations raise the question whether autoimmune mechanisms play a role in the pathogenesis or progression of AAA disease. The hypothesis of this investigation was that IgG purified from aneurysmal specimens would be immunoreactive with normal components of the aortic wall (by means of immunohistochemistry) and with soluble proteins extracted from normal aortic tissue (by Western immunoblotting methods).

Methods
Immunoglobulin G extracted from AAA homogenates was used to detect immunohistochemical reactivity to connective tissue components in fixed sections of normal aorta obtained from an organ donor. Immunoblotting techniques were used to compare the reactivity of IgG (detected with secondary goat antihuman antibody) from 14 patients with AAA with soluble proteins extracted from normal and aneurysmal aortas. Immunoglobulins G purified from extracts obtained from nine patients with no AAA were used for control experiments.

Results
A unique band at 80 kd was visualized when the filters were probed with IgG from 11 (79%) of 14 patients with AAA compared with only one (11%) of nine control subjects (P=.002 by Fisher's exact test). Immunoglobulins G from patients with AAA codistributed with matrix fibers in normal aortic sections, particularly in the adventitia (suggestive of a microfibrillar component).

Conclusion
Our findings suggest that there are autoimmune features of AAA disease that might not only be informative in terms of AAA origin but also lead to more precise forms of pharmacologic down-regulation of disease progression.

(Arch Surg. 1996;131:85-88)

Author Affiliations
From the Department of Surgery, St Luke'sRoosevelt Hospital Center, Columbia University, New York, NY.

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter     What's this?

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES

Complement-Dependent Neutrophil Recruitment Is Critical for the Development of Elastase-Induced Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm
Pagano et al.
Circulation 2009;119:1805-1813.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Relation of Common Carotid Artery Lumen Diameter to General Arterial Dilating Diathesis and Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms: The Tromso Study
Johnsen et al.
Am J Epidemiol 2009;169:330-338.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Aortic Aneurysms: An Immune Disease With a Strong Genetic Component
Kuivaniemi et al.
Circulation 2008;117:242-252.
FULL TEXT  

Elastin Calcification in the Rat Subdermal Model Is Accompanied by Up-Regulation of Degradative and Osteogenic Cellular Responses
Lee et al.
Am. J. Pathol. 2006;168:490-498.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

The Polymorphonuclear Leukocyte and the Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm: A Neglected Cell Type and a Neglected Disease
Tilson
Circulation 2005;112:154-156.
FULL TEXT  

Atherosclerotic Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm and the Interaction Between Autologous Human Plaque-Derived Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells, Type 1 NKT, and Helper T Cells
Chan et al.
Circ. Res. 2005;96:675-683.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Key Roles of CD4+ T Cells and IFN-{gamma} in the Development of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms in a Murine Model
Xiong et al.
J. Immunol. 2004;172:2607-2612.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Toll-like receptors in cardiovascular diseases
de Kleijn and Pasterkamp
Cardiovasc Res 2003;60:58-67.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Prospects for the Medical Management of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms
Steinmetz et al.
VASC ENDOVASCULAR SURG 2003;37:151-163.
ABSTRACT  

Ascending aortic aneurysm associated with bicuspid and tricuspid aortic valve: involvement and clinical relevance of smooth muscle cell apoptosis and expression of cell death-initiating proteins
Schmid et al.
Eur. J. Cardiothorac. Surg. 2003;23:537-543.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Ultrastructural Distribution of 36-kD Microfibril-associated Glycoprotein (MAGP-36) in Human and Bovine Tissues
Toyoshima et al.
J. Histochem. Cytochem. 1999;47:1049-1056.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Death of Smooth Muscle Cells and Expression of Mediators of Apoptosis by T Lymphocytes in Human Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms
Henderson et al.
Circulation 1999;99:96-104.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Inflammatory Aneurysms of the Abdominal Aorta: New Perspectives in Pathogenesis and Management
Rasmussen and Hallett
PERSPECT VASC SURG ENDOVASC THER 1999;10:1-21.
ABSTRACT