New Model Options for Atherosclerosis Studies
January 7, 2013 - Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States. Atherosclerosis, the narrowing of arteries as a result of inflammation, tissue injury or plaque accumulation in the arteries, is a component of heart disease with direct relationships to coronary disease, high cholesterol and diabetes.
Because endothelial dysfunction has been known to have significance in predicting vascular events such as stroke and myocardial infarction, endothelial function testing may have great prognostic value for the early detection of atherosclerosis. Charles River Surgical Services offers an endothelial injury model of atherosclerosis in the rat. This model is produced by inflating an embolectomy catheter in the carotid artery of a rat, inducing endothelial injury. Effects on the catheterized carotid artery and the control carotid artery are then compared to assess compound efficacy.
Figure 1 - The photos are vessel cross sections of ZDF lean and obese animals and compare the injury to the left carotid artery against the normal right carotid artery. The left (catheterized injury) and right (negative control) lean carotids are very different visually. Both the left obese and left lean vessel exhibit remodeling, with the obese vessel exhibiting irregular periphery of the endothelial layer plus unusual cell proliferation and morphology of the media.
Additionally, Charles River Discovery Research Services can carry out atherosclerosis studies to assess anti-atherosclerotic agents in mouse models. Plaque formation in ApoE-/- and LDLR-/- mice is used to assess anti-atherosclerotic agents in vivo. By removing the aorta or brachiocephalic sinus and performing either cross-section or en face staining to augment the lumen, plaque formation and macrophage infiltration, differences between control and treatment groups can be compared to assess the efficacy of novel therapeutic agents.
For more information on our atherosclerosis models or study options, please contact Charles River at 1.877.CRIVER.1 or askcharlesriver@crl.com.
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