The walls of human abdominal aortas and atherosclerosis-induced aneury
sms contain similar amounts of collagen. The quantitative ratio betwee
n collagens of various types of this protein does not differ significa
ntly either, whereas solubility of the collagen in aneurysmal wall and
its susceptibility to the action of EDTA are distinctly decreased. In
contrast with collagen, the amount of elastin in aneurysms is signifi
cantly lower. Total amount of glycosaminoglycans slightly decreased as
compared with that of normal tissue, but the ratio of particular comp
ounds varies. The percentage of chondroitin sulphate is increased and
that of heparan sulphate significantly decreased. The significance of
these changes in pathogenesis of aneurysms is discussed.