Abstract:Aortic aneurysm (AA) and aortic dissection (AD) are critical cardiovascular disease emergencies that seriously threaten human life and health. Due to various factors, the progressive reduction of various types of cells, such as smooth muscle cells and endothelial cells in the aortic wall, is an essential mechanism for developing AA and AD. On this basis, AD is induced by mechanical stresses such as hypertension, leading to damaged endothelial rupture or hemorrhage within the aortic wall. However, AA causes the aortic wall to thin and expand outward in response to stimuli such as prolonged blood flow impingement. At present, increasing evidence shows that various programmed cell death, such as apoptosis, necroptosis, pyroptosis, ferroptosis, copper death, poly ADP-ribose polymerase 1 (PARP-1)-dependent cell death, and immunogenic cell death, play essential roles in the pathogenesis of AA and AD. Therefore, understanding the key molecules and pathways in the pathogenesis of AA and AD from the perspective of programmed cell death and searching for inhibitors of various types of programmed death is essential to prevent aortic destruction and disease progression. The review summarizes the roles and research progress of different types of programmed cell death modalities in the development of AA and AD, clarifies the central position of programmed cell death in forming AA and AD, and searches for new therapeutic methods for the clinic.