In this paper the experimental adverse culture conditions described above were empirically replicated in our laboratory using a MSC population isolated from aortic aneurysm (AAA-MSCs), a human cell model characterized by expression of mesenchymal and stemness markers as well as matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) upregulation (Ciavarella et al., 2015). Here, MMP9 is linked to aortic aneurysm.