Characteristic of cells isolated from human abdominal aortic aneurysm samples cultured in vitro

Abstract

Introduction: This study aimed to standardize cell culture methods for major cell types isolated from three layers of human AAA. We also aimed to determine cell types in each layer of each AAA segment and compare them with cell types in layers of control, unchanged segments. Material and methods: We divided AAAs into three segments along the AAA and control segments flan-king the aneurysm. Isolated cells following expansion were analyzed by flow cytometry, immunochemistry, and microscopic methods. Fluorochrome-conjugated antibodies were used to detect the three major cell types (endothelial cells, smooth muscle cells, and fibroblasts) in each layer of every AAA segment. Results: The culture of cells from the three AAA segments was successfully established in 21% of patients. In all of the layers, only a small proportion of cells showed layer-specific markers of cell types. The majority of cells from every layer were positive for CD90, which is considereda specific marker of fibroblasts in the aorta. Conclusions: We describe a methodology for isolation of cells, their culture conditions, and phenotypic characterization for AAA. The wall of AAA loses its specific types of cells in all of the layers compared with the normal abdominal aortic wall.