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Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopic Imaging-Derived Collagen Content and Maturity Correlates with Stress in the Aortic Wall of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Patients

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Abstract

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a degenerative disease of the aorta characterized by severe disruption of the structural integrity of the aortic wall and its major molecular constituents. From the early stages of disease, elastin in the aorta becomes highly degraded and is replaced by collagen. Questions persist as to the contribution of collagen content, quality and maturity to the potential for rupture. Here, using our recently developed Fourier transform infrared imaging spectroscopy (FT-IRIS) method, we quantified collagen content and maturity in the wall of AAA tissues in pairs of specimens with different wall stresses. CT scans of AAAs from 12 patients were used to create finite element models to estimate stress in different regions of tissue. Each patient underwent elective repair of the AAA, and two segments of the AAA tissues from anatomic regions more proximal or distal with different wall stresses were evaluated by histology and FT-IRIS after excision. For each patient, collagen content was generally greater in the tissue location with lower wall stress, which corresponded to the more distal anatomic regions. The wall stress/collagen ratio was greater in the higher stress region compared to the lower stress region (1.01 ± 1.09 vs. 0.55 ± 0.084, p = 0.02). The higher stress region also corresponded to the location with reduced intraluminal thrombus thickness. Further, collagen maturity tended to decrease with increased collagen content (p = 0.068, R = 0.38). Together, these results suggest that an increase in less mature collagen content in AAA patients does not effectively compensate for the loss of elastin in the aortic wall, and results in a reduced capability to endure wall stresses.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Temple University Bioengineering Department (to NP), NIH Grant # R01HL079313 (to DAV), and grants from the Nanotechnology Institute and Shriners Hospitals for Children (to MFK). We gratefully acknowledge Nicholas J. Caccese for assistance with document formatting.

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflict of interest that would inappropriately influence or bias their work presented in this article.

Statement of Human Studies

Human AAA wall specimens used in this study were surgically excised from patients during elective surgical repair of their aneurysms according to Institutional Review Board of the University of Pittsburgh (IRB # 0407173).

Statement of Animal Studies

Not applicable.

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Author notes

  1. Rabee Cheheltani

    Present address: Department of Radiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Rabee Cheheltani & Mohammad F. Kiani

  2. Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Joseph E. Pichamuthu, Jayashree Rao, Justin S. Weinbaum & David A. Vorp

  3. McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Justin S. Weinbaum & David A. Vorp

  4. Department of Surgery, Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, and Center for Vascular Remodeling and Regeneration, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    David A. Vorp

  5. Department of Bioengineering, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Nancy Pleshko

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  1. Rabee Cheheltani
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Correspondence to Nancy Pleshko.

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Associate Editors Wei Sun and Ajit Yoganathan oversaw the review of this article.

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Cheheltani, R., Pichamuthu, J.E., Rao, J. et al. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopic Imaging-Derived Collagen Content and Maturity Correlates with Stress in the Aortic Wall of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Patients. Cardiovasc Eng Tech 8, 70–80 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13239-016-0289-3

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