University Hospital Düsseldorf, Clinic for Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany.
Department of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, Asklepios Clinic Altona, Hamburg, Germany.
J Vasc Res. 2022;59(4):221-228. doi: 10.1159/000524795. Epub 2022 Jun 27.
Animal models have significantly advanced our understanding of the mechanisms of atherosclerosis formation and the evaluation of therapeutic options. The current focus of research is on preventive strategies and includes pharmacologic and biologic interventions directed primarily against smooth-muscle cell proliferation, endovascular devices for recanalization and/or drug delivery, and an integrated approach using both devices and pharmacobiologic agents. The experience over many decades with animal models in vascular research has established that a single, ideal, naturally available model for atherosclerosis does not exist. The spectrum ranges from large animals such as pigs to small animal experiments with genetically modified rodents such as the ApoE-/- mouse with correspondingly differently pronounced changes in their lipid and lipoprotein levels. The development of transgenic variants of currently available models, e.g., an ApoE-deficient rabbit line, has widened our options. Nevertheless, an appreciation of the individual features of natural or stimulated disease in each species is of importance for the proper design and execution of relevant experiments.
动物模型极大地促进了我们对动脉粥样硬化形成机制的理解和治疗选择的评估。目前的研究重点是预防策略，包括主要针对平滑肌细胞增殖的药物和生物干预、用于再通和/或药物输送的血管内装置，以及使用设备和药物联合治疗的综合方法。在血管研究中使用动物模型的数十年经验表明，不存在单一的、理想的、天然存在的动脉粥样硬化模型。该模型的范围从猪等大型动物到具有基因修饰的啮齿动物（如 ApoE-/- 小鼠）的小型动物实验，其脂质和脂蛋白水平的变化相应地有明显不同。目前可用模型的转基因变体的发展，例如，缺乏 ApoE 的兔系，拓宽了我们的选择。然而，了解每种物种中天然或刺激疾病的个体特征对于正确设计和执行相关实验非常重要。
