Cardiac and vascular phenotypes in the apolipoprotein E-deficient mouse

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Cardiovascular death is frequently associated with atherosclerosis, a chronic multifactorial disease and a leading cause of death worldwide. Genetically engineered mouse models have proven useful for the study of the mechanisms underlying cardiovascular diseases....

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Vasquez Elisardo C, Peotta Veronica A, Gava Agata L, Pereira Thiago MC, Meyrelles Silvana S
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2012-02-01
Series:Journal of Biomedical Science
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.jbiomedsci.com/content/19/1/22
Description
Summary:<p>Abstract</p> <p>Cardiovascular death is frequently associated with atherosclerosis, a chronic multifactorial disease and a leading cause of death worldwide. Genetically engineered mouse models have proven useful for the study of the mechanisms underlying cardiovascular diseases. The apolipoprotein E-deficient mouse has been the most widely used animal model of atherosclerosis because it rapidly develops severe hypercholesterolemia and spontaneous atherosclerotic lesions similar to those observed in humans. In this review, we provide an overview of the cardiac and vascular phenotypes and discuss the interplay among nitric oxide, reactive oxygen species, aging and diet in the impairment of cardiovascular function in this mouse model.</p>
ISSN:1021-7770
1423-0127