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Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is considered a chronic inflammatory disease; however, the molecular basis underlying the sterile inflammatory response involved in the process of AAA remains unclear. We previously showed that the inflammasome, which regulates the caspase-1–dependent interleukin-1β production, mediates the sterile cardiovascular inflammatory responses. Therefore, we hypothesized that the inflammasome is a key mediator of initial inflammation in AAA formation.

Apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a caspase recruitment domain is highly expressed in adventitial macrophages in human and murine AAA tissues. Using an established mouse model of AAA induced by continuous infusion of angiotensin II in Apoe^–/– mice, NLR family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3), apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a caspase recruitment …