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A Human Ex Vivo Atherosclerotic Plaque Model to Study Lesion Biology
Published on: May 6, 2014
The Pathological Factors Involved in Current In Vitro Atherosclerotic Models
Yuxin Bao1, Hangyu Zhang1, Danbo Wang2
1School of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Medicine, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, China.
Insights
In vitro atherosclerotic models are crucial for understanding cardiovascular disease pathogenesis. This review details current models, their limitations, and future directions for developing better atherosclerosis research tools.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Cardiovascular Research
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Atherosclerosis (AS) is a leading cause of global mortality, driving the need for advanced research models.
- In vitro models offer a human-derived system to study AS pathogenesis, distinct from animal models.
- Understanding AS requires detailed investigation of its complex pathological factors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review existing in vitro atherosclerotic models.
- To elaborate on pathological factors, simulation methods, and improvement perspectives.
- To summarize model advantages, disadvantages, and future potential.
Main Methods:
- Comprehensive literature review of in vitro atherosclerotic models.
- Analysis of pathological factors and their simulation approaches.
- Evaluation of current model functionalities and limitations.
Main Results:
- Detailed elaboration of various pathological factors incorporated into in vitro AS models.
- Discussion on simulation approaches and desired improvements for each factor.
- Summary of the strengths and weaknesses of current in vitro models.
Conclusions:
- In vitro atherosclerotic models are vital for elucidating AS pathogenesis and developing therapies.
- Current models provide valuable insights but require further refinement.
- Future advancements in in vitro models hold significant promise for cardiovascular disease research.
Abstract:
Cardiovascular disease stemmed from atherosclerosis (AS) is well recognized to be the predominant cause of global death. To comprehensively clarify the pathogenesis of AS, exploit effective drugs, as well as develop therapeutic solutions, various atherosclerotic models were constructed in vitro and widely utilized by the scientific community. Compared with animal models, the in vitro atherosclerotic models play a prominent role not only in the targeted research of single pathological factor related to AS in the human derived system, but also in the combined study on multipathological factors leading to AS, thereby contributing tremendously to the in-depth elucidation of atherosclerotic pathological process. In the current review, a variety of pathological factors incorporated into the existing atherosclerotic models in vitro are broadly elaborated, including the pathological mechanism, in vitro simulation approaches, and the desired improvement perspectives for reproducing each pathological factor. In addition, this review also summarizes the advantages and disadvantages of current atherosclerotic models as well as their potential functionality. Finally, the promising aspects for future atherosclerotic models in vitro with potential advances are also discussed.
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