Objective To investigate the relationship of apoptosis and autophagy of vascular smooth muscle cells (SMC) with the pathogenesis of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). Methods In situ terminal transferase-mediated dUTP nick end-labeling(TUNEL) was used to detect the apoptosis of SMC of AAA and human normal aorta. The expression of LC3 was measured by immunohistochemistry. RNA extraction from the tissue of AAA and human normal aorta was performed. The mRNA levels of autophagy-related genes Beclin1,Atg4b,Bnip3,and Vps34 are tested by RT-PCR. Results The number of TUNEL-positive SMC in AAA was higher than that in normal aorta (P<0.05). The expression level of LC3 protein was significantly increased in AAA compared with that in normal aorta (P<0.05). The mRNA expression levels of Beclin1,Atg4b,Bnip3 and Vps34 were markedly up-regulated in AAA compared with that in normal aorta (P<0.05). Conclusion The apoptosis and autophagy of vascular SMC play an important role in the pathogenesis of AAA.