Understanding the Potential Function of Perivascular Adipose Tissue in Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms: Current Research Status and Future Expectation

An abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a progressive dilatation of the vascular wall occurring below the aortic fissure, preferably occurring below the renal artery. The molecular mechanism of AAA has not yet been elucidated. In the past few decades, research on abdominal aortic aneurysm has been mainly focused on the vessel wall, and it is generally accepted that inflammation and middle layer fracture of the vessel wall is the core steps in the development of AAA. However, perivascular adipose tissue plays a non-negligible role in the occurrence and development of AAA. The position of PVAT plays a supporting and protective role on the vascular wall, but the particularity of the location makes it not only have the physiological function of visceral fat; but also can regulate the vascular function by secreting a large number of adipokines and cytokines. An abdominal aortic aneurysm is getting higher and higher, with a vascular rupture, low rescue success rate, and extremely high lethality rate. At present, there is no drug to control the progression or reverse abdominal aortic aneurysm. Therefore, it is critical to deeply explore the mechanism of abdominal aortic aneurysms and find new therapeutic ways to inhibit abdominal aortic aneurysm formation and disease progression. An abdominal aortic aneurysm is mainly characterized by inflammation of the vessel wall and matrix metalloprotein degradation. In this review, we mainly focus on the cytokines released by the perivascular adipose tissue, summarize the mechanisms involved in the regulation of abdominal aortic aneurysms, and provide new research directions for studying abdominal aortic aneurysms.