A novel carotid artery catheterization device for intracranial drug delivery in rats and mice

Intracarotid drug delivery in rodents is important for investigating neurological disorders and evaluating intra-arterial therapies. However, existing carotid catheterization tools are limited by large catheter size, complicated preparation, catheter instability, vascular injury, and catheter-related mortality, particularly in mice.

We developed a simple, cost-effective carotid artery catheterization device for rats and mice. The device consists of ultra-fine polypropylene tubing, a 34 G needle, tissue-biocompatible adhesive, and a 1-mL syringe, and is compatible with external infusion pumps for continuous controlled administration. A streamlined protocol was established to reduce technical variability and improve delivery efficiency.

The device was evaluated in 35 mice and 24 rats receiving intracarotid PBS administration. One mouse died before catheterization, likely due to anesthesia-related complications; no catheterization-related mortality or major complications occurred. Postoperative recovery was uneventful, with no neurological dysfunction during one-week monitoring. The mean procedural time was 18.9 min in mice and 17.3 min in rats. Evans Blue experiments showed higher brain signal after carotid administration than after tail vein injection. The device was also compatible with the filament-based transient middle cerebral artery occlusion model.

Compared with reported devices, this device has the smallest carotid cannula outer diameter of 0.2 mm, requires less than 5 min for preparation, and offers simple construction, low cost, and improved maneuverability.

This device provides a practical tool for intracarotid drug delivery in rodents and may facilitate central nervous system-targeted research and preclinical evaluation of carotid artery-based therapies.