Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a severe aortic disease due to the increasing prevalence and high mortality rate. To date, no effective pharmacological treatment for AAA is available, likely due to limited understanding of the primary underlying mechanisms of AAA development and progression. Many AAA mouse models have been developed to aid investigation of pathophysiologic mechanisms underlying human AAA. Most of mouse AAA models are evoked by genetic manipulation, chemical induction, or both. Currently, chemically induced mouse AAA approaches include the subcutaneous infusion of angiotensin II (AngII), the peri-adventitial application of elastase, the intraluminal infusion of elastase and the periaortic incubation of calcium phosphate.

Although no AAA model perfectly reflects all the human AAA features, including medial layer destruction, chronic inflammation, intraluminal thrombus, neoangiogenesis and aneurysm rupture, each model has its advantages and drawbacks. The diversity in localization, appearance and mechanism allows the investigators to focus on specific mechanism involved in human AAA. This aim of this collection is to demonstrate the standardized protocols for each chemically induced AAA mouse model, provide broader access to the existing models, and facilitate the precise selection of the AAA model to explore the sophisticated mechanisms of AAA formation.