TY - JOUR
T1 - Mouse models of atherosclerosis
AU - Daugherty, Alan
PY - 2002
Y1 - 2002
N2 - Atherosclerosis is a complex disease in which progressive cellular changes occur for decades before the acute manifestation of cardiovascular disease. Definition of atherogenic mechanisms in humans is hindered by the complexity and chronicity of the disease process, combined with the inability to sequentially characterize lesions in an individual patient because of shortcomings in noninvasive detection modalities. Therefore, there has been a reliance on animal models of the disease to define mechanistic pathways. Over the last decade, the mouse has become the predominant species used to create models of atherosclerosis. The initial interest was based on the great diversity of inbred strains with defined genetic backgrounds that provides a means of linking genes to the development of atherosclerosis. More recently, the ability to genetically modify mice to over or under express specific genes has facilitated the definition of pathways in the atherogenic process. All of the current mouse models of atherosclerosis are based on perturbations of lipoprotein metabolism through dietary and/or genetic manipulations. Although hyperlipidemia is necessary for the development of atherosclerosis, mouse models have demonstrated that many nonlipid factors can influence the severity and characteristics of lesions. This review selectively high-lights some of the most commonly used mouse models of atherosclerosis and compare their lesions to those formed in the human disease.
AB - Atherosclerosis is a complex disease in which progressive cellular changes occur for decades before the acute manifestation of cardiovascular disease. Definition of atherogenic mechanisms in humans is hindered by the complexity and chronicity of the disease process, combined with the inability to sequentially characterize lesions in an individual patient because of shortcomings in noninvasive detection modalities. Therefore, there has been a reliance on animal models of the disease to define mechanistic pathways. Over the last decade, the mouse has become the predominant species used to create models of atherosclerosis. The initial interest was based on the great diversity of inbred strains with defined genetic backgrounds that provides a means of linking genes to the development of atherosclerosis. More recently, the ability to genetically modify mice to over or under express specific genes has facilitated the definition of pathways in the atherogenic process. All of the current mouse models of atherosclerosis are based on perturbations of lipoprotein metabolism through dietary and/or genetic manipulations. Although hyperlipidemia is necessary for the development of atherosclerosis, mouse models have demonstrated that many nonlipid factors can influence the severity and characteristics of lesions. This review selectively high-lights some of the most commonly used mouse models of atherosclerosis and compare their lesions to those formed in the human disease.
KW - Atherosclerosis
KW - Genetic manipulations
KW - Lipoproteins
KW - Mouse
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U2 - 10.1097/00000441-200201000-00002
DO - 10.1097/00000441-200201000-00002
M3 - Article
C2 - 11814139
AN - SCOPUS:0036080373
SN - 0002-9629
VL - 323
SP - 3
EP - 10
JO - American Journal of the Medical Sciences
JF - American Journal of the Medical Sciences
IS - 1
ER -