Mouse models of atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis bears many features of a chronic inflammation that affects the intima of large and medium-sized arteries. In recent years apolipoprotein E-deficient and LDL receptor-deficient mice have been used to examine the effects of various gene products on the development of atherosclerosis. In the present review the effects of genetics, apolipoprotein E, inflammatory gene modifiers, lipoprotein modifications, lipoprotein receptors, vessel wall expression of lipoprotein-metabolizing enzymes, and the atheroprotective role of HDL on atherosclerosis in these mice are discussed. The importance of examining lesions that are more advanced than fatty streaks and careful histologic and immunologic examination of lesion composition is emphasized.