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Cell Biology JoVE (Open Access) Citable · DOI

Induction of Accelerated Atherosclerosis in Mice: The "Wire-Injury" Model

DOI: 10.3791/54571-v
What you'll learn
  • ✓ Perform mechanical wire-injury procedure to induce accelerated atherosclerosis in mice
  • ✓ Induce hyperlipidemia as prerequisite for atherosclerotic plaque formation
  • ✓ Analyze restenosis plaques and assess molecular mechanisms post-injury
  • ✓ Compare mechanical injury model advantages over electric/cryo-injury approaches
Protocol

This study describes an invasive procedure for the induction of accelerated atherosclerosis in mice. In comparison to other methods using electric- or cryo-induced injury, mechanical-induced injury mimics the human condition of restenosis after revascularization therapies and is ideal for the study of the molecular mechanisms involved.

Difficulty
advanced
Total time
~4-6 weeks (hyperlipidemia induction 2-4 weeks, wire injury ~30 min/mouse, plaque analysis ~1-2 weeks)
Model organism
Mouse (hyperlipidemic, strain not specified)
Biosafety
BSL-1

Steps

1
Induce hyperlipidemia and perform wire injury

Establish hyperlipidemic state in mice prior to mechanical wire-injury procedure. Perform invasive wire-injury intervention to induce accelerated atherosclerosis, mimicking post-revascularization restenosis in human disease.

▶ 00:38
2
Analyze representative restenosis plaque formation

Harvest tissues and examine restenotic plaques following wire injury, quantifying plaque burden and morphology to assess atherosclerotic progression and validate molecular mechanisms.

▶ 03:53
3
Interpret model clinical relevance and applications

Evaluate mechanical injury model as superior approach for studying restenosis pathophysiology compared to alternative injury methods, informing selection for mechanistic studies.

▶ 05:02
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