Cigarette Smoke and Inflammation: Role in Cerebral Aneurysm Formation and Rupture

Figure 1

CS-associated inflammatory response in CA walls. CS increases wall shear stress in cerebral vessels and causes endothelial dysfunction with VSMC proinflammatory phenotypic modulation. The resultant inflammatory response implicates several inflammatory cells and mediators (ROS in particular) and leads to extracellular matrix remodeling and subsequent aneurysm formation. Further CS-induced matrix breakdown, cell death, and formation of an organizing thrombus eventually culminate in CA rupture. IEL: internal elastic lamina.