Animal Models of Cardiovascular Diseases

Table 1

Animal models of atherosclerosis: advantages and limitations.

Mouse	(i) Rapid development of atherosclerotic plaques	(i) Only partial resemblance to humans
	(ii) Short reproductive cycle	(ii) More atherosclerotic than atherothrombosis model
	(iii) Large litters	(iii) Very high levels of blood lipids
	(iv) Well-known genome
	(v) Relative ease of genome manipulation
	(vi) Relatively cheap
	(vii) Useful for noninvasive imaging
	(MRI, PET, CT, ultrasound)
	(viii) Large experience
Rat	(i) Easy, available, and cheap	(i) Do not develop atheroma
	(ii) Useful for restenosis analysis
Rabbit	(i) Medium size	(i) Need for high blood cholesterol levels
	(ii) Fibroatheroma lesions	(ii) No plaque rupture model
	(iii) Useful for restenosis models	(iii) A model of neointima formation rather than  atherosclerosis
	(iv) Affordable
Porcine	(i) Lesions more similar to human disease	(i) High cost
	(ii) Valid for restenosis studies	(ii) Difficult handling
		(iii) Few genomic tools