ELN and cardiac hypertrophy: In the present study, we first confirmed the already demonstrated morphologically, structurally and mechanically atypical characteristics of the heart and ascending aorta of 6-month-old Eln+/- mice compared to their wild-type counterparts [12,18,19,25]: cardiac hypertrophy, hypertension, narrower (and thinner walled for males), longer and generally stiffened ascending aortae, although more distensible at low pressure and less distensible at high pressure, as well as more numerous, thinner and more degraded elastic lamellae.