Rat Carotid Artery Balloon Injury Model

Numerous and diverse experimental animal models have been used over the years to examine reactions to various forms of blood vessel disease and/or injury across species and in multiple vascular beds in a cumulative effort to relate these findings to the human condition. In this context, the rat carotid artery balloon injury model is highly characterized and commonly used for investigating gross morphological, cellular, biochemical, and molecular components of the response to experimentally induced arterial injury. The mechanical damage caused by the balloon catheter completely removes the intimal endothelial lining and creates a distending mural injury in the operated vessel. This elicits a reproducible remodeling response characterized by vascular smooth muscle cell (SMC) mitogenesis and migration (through phenotypic switching), SMC apoptosis, partial vascular endothelial cell regeneration, enhanced matrix synthesis, and establishment of an invasive neointima in time-dependent fashion. This multi-factorial process allows for investigation of these many important pathophysiological processes and can serve as a valuable ‘‘proof-of-concept’’ tool to verify and substantiate in vitro results; however, inherent anatomical and adaptive constraints of this in vivo model ration comparison to the diseased human system (see Note 1 ). In this chapter, brief overview of the materials needed and the methodologies commonly employed for successful routine performance of this important experimental animal model is provided. Individual sub-sections will cover animal care and handling, pre-operative and post-operative procedures, and the surgery proper. Protocols for histopathology and morphometry and procedures for data management and interpretation pertinent to the rat carotid artery balloon injury model are discussed in Chapter 2.