Description
Abdominal Aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a degenerative disease in the aortic wall that affects a large portion of the elderly population and may lead to lethal complications. So far, there is no pharmacological treatment available for AAA and the development of new targets for drug development is demanded. Recently, studies have shown that renin-angiotensin system (RAS) is involved in the development of AAA in a matrix metalloproteinase(MMP)-dependent mechanism. In this study, the plasmatic and tissue levels of the RAS components of human samples will be measured and the results will be correlated with biomarkers for the progression of AAA. This project aims to elucidate: 1) whether the level of components from the RAS are changed in patients with AAA; 2) if the RAS components can be used as biomarkers to predict the severity of AAA and 3) the potential of RAS components as pharmacological targets to treat AAA.
Responsible contact: Augusto Martins Lima