Ciprofloxacin Exposure Promotes Aortic Dissection and Arterial Rupture in a Mouse Model of Vascular Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome

OBJECTIVE: We tested the hypothesis that ciprofloxacin exposure increases the incidence of aortic dissection and arterial rupture in vascular Ehlers-Danlos (vEDS) mice. BACKGROUND: While data support that fluoroquinolones exacerbate lethal sequela in some types of aortic pathology, the potential danger of these drugs has not been studied in the context of vEDS. METHODS: Eight-week-old male and female vEDS mice ( Col3a1[G209S/WT] ) and wild-type littermates ( Col3a1[WT/WT] ) were randomly assigned to receive either ciprofloxacin (n=25) or vehicle control (n=24) through daily gavage for 2 weeks and were monitored for 4 weeks. We compared groups based on survival, aortic dissection and rupture incidence, and aortic tissue levels of collagen, lysyl oxidase (LOX), matrix metalloproteinases (MMP), macrophages, and apoptosis. RESULTS: All vEDS mice that received vehicle and all littermate controls survived the 4-week study period. In contrast, 44% of vEDS mice that received ciprofloxacin died ( P