Ultrasound biomicroscopy imaging of aortic atherosclerotic in the LDL-R gene knock-out mouse

Abstract

Objective To detect the atherosclerotic progression in low density lipoprotein receptor (LDL-R) gene knock-out mouse by ultrasound biomicroscopy(UBM) technique,and to monitor the intima media thickness (IMT) and changes in plague of aortic wall.Methods 10 male LDL-R gene knock-out mice of 16 weeks age and 10 LDL-R gene knock-out mice of 24 weeks age were in the experimental group,and 10 male C57BL/6 mice of 16 and 24 weeks age were in the control group.The shapes of their aortic roots,ascending aorta,aortic arch and CCA were detected by UBM,and the IMT at aortic root view and carotid artery bifurcation were measured,then the data were compared with histopathology of the corresponding vascular segments.Results The difference between the IMT of aortic root and carotid artery bifurcation of the 16 week old LDL-R mice and the control group of the same age had no statistical significance.The difference between the IMT of carotid artery bifurcation of the 24-week-old LDL R mice and the control group of the same age had no statistical significance.The IMT of aortic root thickened compared with control group of the same age(P ＜0.01).Conclusions The UBM technique can be used to detect the atherosclerotic progression in LDL-R gene knock-out mouse. Key words: Microscopy, acoustic ; Atherosclerosis ; Aorta