Impact Of Autophagy In Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells On Mouse Aortic Dissection

Objective: To identify the role of autophagy in vascular smooth muscle cells(VSMCs)and the formation of aortic dissection(AD)using a murine model.Methods:(1)Sixty C57 mice were randomly divided into three groups:control group,model group and chloroquine(CQ)group.The model and CQ groups were fed β-aminopropionitrile(BAPN)and injected with human angiotensin-II(Ang-II)for 16 days.The CQ group had chloroquine injected into the abdominal cavity of the mice daily while normal saline was injected in the control group using the same method.(2)YAP,LC3,p62 and different phenotype related marker proteins were measured by western blot and immunohistochemistry staining.Results:(1)The incidence of AD was 60% in the model group,while there were no cases found in the CQ group.(2)LC3 and synthetic related marker proteins of VSMC were significantly and highly expressed in the model and CQ groups,inversely the expression of VSMC contractile phenotype proteins and YAP decreased.Conclusion: Results demonstrate that autophagy regulates the phenotypic transformation of VSMC via YAP protein pathways.