In addition, to identify whether impairment of mitochondrial functions is a cause or consequence of oxidative stress and eventually a major driver for AAA development, we detected the mitochondrial functions of VSMCs treated with Ang II for different times and assessed the markers for mitochondrial number (mtDNA) and replication (mitochondrial transcription factor A [mtTFA], peroxisome proliferative activated receptor, gamma, coactivator 1 alpha [PGC1α]). This evidence concerns the gene TFAM and triple-A syndrome.