Role of stem cells in aortic aneurysm

Abstract

In recent years, aortic aneurysms (AAs) have attracted increasing attention due to their asymptomatic onset and high mortality. In clinic, surgery and anti-hypertensive or lipid-lowering medicine is usually applied in the treatments of AA. However, AA is prone to relapse and sudden rupture may happen. Therefore, more effective prevention and treatment methods are urgently needed. Stem cells are believed to play a crucial role in vascular formation and regeneration of damaged tissues during vascular disease progression. With the development of single-cell RNA sequencing analysis, many populations of stem cells have been discovered in AA tissues. Recent studies have demonstrated that they may participate in the occurrence or development of AAs. Besides, there is a prospect in clinical treatment for AAs when regenerative medicine with stem cells comes into the picture. This review mainly discusses the latest findings on the crucial roles of stem cells in AAs as well as their potential therapeutic strategies of stem cells, which provides some references for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of AAs. Further studies are needed to explore the novel application of stem cell therapies for AAs.