Activation of AMP-activated protein kinase α2 by nicotine instigates formation of abdominal aortic aneurysms in mice in vivo

Cigarette smoking raises the risk for cardiovascular disease, including the risk for abdominal aortic aneurysm. Shuangxi Wang et al. now show that nicotine itself is a causal factor in promoting abdominal aortic aneurysms in mice and delineate a pathogenic mechanism by which nicotine exposure leads to activation of the enzyme AMP-kinase in vascular smooth muscle cells and increased expression of the metallopeptidase MMP2.