Establishment of a new murine elastase-induced aneurysm model combined with transplantation

PLoS One. 2014 Jul 28;9(7):e102648. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0102648. eCollection 2014.

Abstract

Introduction: The aim of our study was to develop a reproducible murine model of elastase-induced aneurysm formation combined with aortic transplantation.

Methods: Adult male mice (n = 6-9 per group) underwent infrarenal, orthotopic transplantation of the aorta treated with elastase or left untreated. Subsequently, both groups of mice were monitored by ultrasound until 7 weeks after grafting.

Results: Mice receiving an elastase-pretreated aorta developed aneurysms and exhibited a significantly increased diastolic vessel diameter compared to control grafted mice at 7 week after surgery (1.11 ± 0.10 mm vs. 0.75 ± 0.03 mm; p ≤ 0,001). Histopathological examination revealed disruption of medial elastin, an increase in collagen content and smooth muscle cells, and neointima formation in aneurysm grafts.

Conclusions: We developed a reproducible murine model of elastase-induced aneurysm combined with aortic transplantation. This model may be suitable to investigate aneurysm-specific inflammatory processes and for use in gene-targeted animals.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aneurysm / drug therapy
  • Aneurysm / surgery*
  • Animals
  • Aorta / transplantation*
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Pancreatic Elastase / therapeutic use*

Substances

  • Pancreatic Elastase

Grants and funding

This study was supported by the Interdisciplinary Center for Clinical Research (IZKF) Aachen of the Faculty of Medicine, RWTH Aachen University (EAL). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.