Establishment of an experimental model for carotid atherosclerosis in ApoE-/-mice

Abstract

Objective To develop a model of atherosclerosis in apolipoprotein E (ApoE-/-) mice.Methods Totally 3 male C57BL/6 mice and 6 ApoE-/-mice were divided into 3 groups:C57BL/6 mice (n =3) in group A were fed on a chow diet for5 weeks; ApoE-/-mice (n =3) in group B were fed on a high fat diet for 5 weeks ; ApoE-/-mice (n =3) in group C were subjected to partial ligation of carotid artery followed by feeding of a high-fat diet for 5 weeks.The flow velocity at the midpoint of the common carotid arteries in group C was measured by animal ultrasonogram at 1 st week after operation.The venerous blood was taken for measuring the level of serum lipid before the mice were sacrificed after 5 weeks.The left carotid artery in all mice was quickly removed for histological examination.Results Peak systolic velocity (PSV) in LCA [(9.4 ±0.8) cm/s] was significantly slower than in RCA [(102.0 ±7.8) cm/s]during systole in group C (P ＜0.01) at first week after partial ligation,and during diastole reversed flow in LCA was observed.Hyperlipidemia was observed in ApoE-/-mice fed on high fat diet for 5 weeks.Oil O red staining showed that partial ligation and high fat diet induced advanced fibrous atheroma plaque in LCA of apoE)/-mice.Conclusion The novel combined methods of high diet with partial ligation of carotid artery can be used to establish a successful atherosclerotic animal model. Key words: Apolipoprotein E; Partial ligation of carotid artery; Atherosclerosis