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Inhibition of microRNA-29b reduces murine abdominal aortic aneurysm development
Lars Maegdefessel, … , Joshua M. Spin, Philip S. Tsao
Lars Maegdefessel, … , Joshua M. Spin, Philip S. Tsao
Published January 24, 2012
Citation Information: J Clin Invest. 2012;122(2):497-506. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI61598.
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Research Article Article has an altmetric score of 10

Inhibition of microRNA-29b reduces murine abdominal aortic aneurysm development

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Abstract

MicroRNAs (miRs) regulate gene expression at the posttranscriptional level and play crucial roles in vascular integrity. As such, they may have a role in modifying abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) expansion, the pathophysiological mechanisms of which remain incompletely explored. Here, we investigate the role of miRs in 2 murine models of experimental AAA: the porcine pancreatic elastase (PPE) infusion model in C57BL/6 mice and the AngII infusion model in Apoe–/– mice. AAA development was accompanied by decreased aortic expression of miR-29b, along with increased expression of known miR-29b targets, Col1a1, Col3a1, Col5a1, and Eln, in both models. In vivo administration of locked nucleic acid anti–miR-29b greatly increased collagen expression, leading to an early fibrotic response in the abdominal aortic wall and resulting in a significant reduction in AAA progression over time in both models. In contrast, overexpression of miR-29b using a lentiviral vector led to augmented AAA expansion and significant increase of aortic rupture rate. Cell culture studies identified aortic fibroblasts as the likely vascular cell type mediating the profibrotic effects of miR-29b modulation. A similar pattern of reduced miR-29b expression and increased target gene expression was observed in human AAA tissue samples compared with that in organ donor controls. These data suggest that therapeutic manipulation of miR-29b and its target genes holds promise for limiting AAA disease progression and protecting from rupture.

Authors

Lars Maegdefessel, Junya Azuma, Ryuji Toh, Denis R. Merk, Alicia Deng, Jocelyn T. Chin, Uwe Raaz, Anke M. Schoelmerich, Azad Raiesdana, Nicholas J. Leeper, Michael V. McConnell, Ronald L. Dalman, Joshua M. Spin, Philip S. Tsao

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Figure 6

Effects of anti-29b and pre-29b in AngII infusion model and miR-29b regulation in human patients with AAA.

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Effects of anti-29b and pre-29b in AngII infusion model and miR-29b regu...
(A) AAD (in percentage versus baseline) in scr-miR and anti- and pre-29b AngII-induced. (B) Col1a1, (C) Col3a1, and (D) Eln expression in scr-miR– and anti- and pre-29b–transduced mice compared with that in sham-operated mice in the AngII model (n = 4–6 mice for each time point and group). (E) miR-29b is the only significantly downregulated miR in human AAA samples (n = 8) compared with tissue from control patients (n = 7) without AAA. (F) COL1A1, COL3A1, COL5A1, and ELN are significantly upregulated in human AAA tissue compared with non-aneurysmal aortic tissue. Data are mean ± SEM. *P < 0.05 versus sham or control patients. #P < 0.05 versus scr-miR and sham. †P < 0.05 versus scr-miR and anti-29.

Copyright © 2025 American Society for Clinical Investigation
ISSN: 0021-9738 (print), 1558-8238 (online)

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