The expression of cathepsin S in human and mouse abdominal aortic aneurysm

Abstract

Objective To observe the expression of Cathepsin S in the human abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) and angiotensin Ⅱ(AngⅡ) perfusion induced AAA lesions in apolipoprotein E-deficient(ApoE-/-) mice.Methods AAA specimens of clinical diagnosis patients(AAA group) and the normal blood vessels(control group)were collected.The AAA model was established by infused Ang Ⅱ 1 000ng · kg-1 · d-1 to ApoE-/-mice.Elastic fibersfracture was observed by elastic fiber staining and Cathepsin S expression by immunohistochemistry.Results The elastic fiber staining revealed that the elastic fibers fracture of the human and mouse AAA group increased significantly (P ＜ 0.05) ; Cathepsin S expression significantly increased in the human and mouse AAA group than the control group by immunohistochemistry(P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion Cathepsin S is activated in human and murine AAA lesions and may be involved in the pathogenesis of AAA. Key words: Abdominal aortic aneurysm; Cathepsin S ; ApoE-/-mice