Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 12, 2025
Modeling Stroke in Mice: Transient Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion via the External Carotid Artery
Published on: May 24, 2021
Collateral Supply in Preclinical Cerebral Stroke Models.
Philippe Bonnin1,2, Nathalie Kubis3,4, Christiane Charriaut-Marlangue5
1APHP, Physiologie Clinique - Explorations Fonctionnelles, Hôpital Lariboisiere, Université de Paris, 2 rue Ambroise Paré, F-75010, Paris, France. philippe.bonnin@aphp.fr.
Stimulating collateral blood flow in acute ischemic stroke can protect brain tissue and reduce disability. This review covers cerebral collateral systems, their response to occlusion, and potential pharmaceutical treatments, highlighting collateral recruitment as a key therapeutic target.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Vascular Biology
- Ischemic Stroke Research
Background:
- Cerebral ischemia, or stroke, poses a significant health challenge, with limited treatment options for acute phases.
- Enhancing collateral blood supply is a promising strategy to mitigate infarct size and neurological deficits.
- Understanding the collateral circulation is crucial for developing effective stroke therapies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the cerebral collateral systems in rodents following arterial occlusion.
- To illustrate modifications in collateral pathways and their time course.
- To survey pharmaceutical agents investigated for stimulating collateral blood flow.
Main Methods:
- Review of preclinical rodent studies on cerebral ischemia.
- Description and illustration of collateral pathways (Circle of Willis, leptomeningeal arteries).
- Analysis of imaging techniques used to assess collateral flow.
Main Results:
- Collateral supply routes vary (proximal via Circle of Willis, distal via leptomeningeal arteries).
- Time course of collateral recruitment differs across age, species, and genetic backgrounds.
- Pharmaceutical agents targeting collateral flow have been explored.
Conclusions:
- Collateral recruitment is a rapid, beneficial endogenous mechanism post-occlusion.
- Stimulating collateral blood flow is a viable therapeutic target, potentially augmenting recanalization strategies.
- Clinical trials are needed to validate preclinical findings and assess the efficacy of pharmacological agents in humans.
