RESUMO
OBJECTIVE/BACKGROUND: Recent genetic data suggest that a polymorphism of LRP1 is an independent risk factor for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). The aims of this study were to assess whether plasma and aortic concentrations of low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 1 (LRP1) are associated with AAA, and to investigate the possible relevance of LRP1 to AAA pathophysiology. METHODS: Three analyses were conducted. First, plasma LRP1 concentrations were measured in community-dwelling men with and without AAA (n = 189 and n = 309, respectively) using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Second, Western blotting analyses were employed to compare the expression of LRP1 protein in aortic biopsies collected from patients with AAA and nonaneurysmal postmortem donors (n = 6/group). Finally, the effect of in vitro LRP1 blockade on matrix metalloprotease 9 (MMP9) clearance by vascular smooth muscle cells was assessed by zymography. RESULTS: Plasma LRP1 concentrations did not differ between groups of men with and without AAA (median concentration 4.56 µg/mL [interquartile range {IQR} (3.39-5.96)] and 4.43 µg/mL [IQR 3.44-5.84], respectively; p = .48), and were not associated with AAA after adjusting for other risk factors (odds ratio 1.10 [95% confidence interval: 0.91-1.32]; p = 0.35). In contrast, LRP1 expression was approximately 3.4-fold lower in aortic biopsies recovered from patients with AAA compared with controls (median [IQR] expression 1.72 [0.94-3.14] and 5.91 [4.63-6.94] relative density units, respectively; p < .01). In vitro LRP1 blockade significantly reduced the ability of vascular smooth muscle cells to internalize extracellular MMP9. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that aortic but not circulating LRP1 is downregulated in patients with AAA and indicates a possible role for this protein in clearing an aneurysm-relevant ligand.