Neutrophil extracellular traps: emerging drivers and therapeutic targets in abdominal aortic aneurysm pathogenesis.

ABSTRACT: Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a life-threatening condition with no effective pharmacological treatments, underscoring the critical need to identify novel therapeutic targets. Emerging translational and clinical evidence implicates neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) as potential drivers of AAA pathogenesis. This review systematically delineates the mechanisms by which NETs contribute to aortic wall degradation, focusing on their direct cytotoxicity to vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), induction of VSMC phenotypic switching and ferroptosis, amplification of inflammatory cascades, and propagation of thromboinflammation. Key mediators include PAD4, IL-1β, PI3Kγ, neutrophil elastase, myeloperoxidase, and mitochondrial DNA. NET components (citrullinated histone H3, cell-free DNA, neu

SUBMITTER: Lyu X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12822572 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature