Murine aortic aneurysm produced by periarterial application of calcium chloride.

A murine abdominal aortic aneurysm model was developed by applying calcium chloride periarterially. A 13.6 mEq/10 ml calcium chloride solution was applied to the abdominal aorta of nine mice. Three mice were randomly selected at the end of the first, second, and third weeks postoperatively, and their vessel diameters were measured. The vessel diameter at the end of the first week postoperatively was 0.39 +/- 0.03 mm (mean +/- SD) pretreatment and 0.41 +/- 0.03 mm posttreatment (5.3% increase, P > 0.05). The vessel diameter at the end of the second week postoperatively was 0.48 +/- 0.03 mm pretreatment and 0.78 +/- 0.20 mm posttreatment (64% increase, P < 0.05). The vessel diameter at the end of the third week postoperatively was 0.57 +/- 0.14 mm pretreatment and 1.16 +/- 0.43 mm posttreatment (110% increase, P < 0.05). Nine other murine abdominal aortas were treated with sodium chloride, and their vessel diameters were measured in similar 7-day intervals. No measurements in this group were statistically significant when comparing pretreatment to posttreatment vessel diameters. A larger number of inflammatory infiltrates was observed in the intima and media layers of calcium-chloride-treated mice. Underlying mechanisms for this model include disrupting the elastic network within the media by calcium precipitations and activating the inflammatory response. We conclude that periarterial application of calcium chloride is a convenient and reliable model for creating abdominal aortic aneurysms in mice.

[1]  P. Shah,et al.  Inflammation, metalloproteinases, and increased proteolysis: an emerging pathophysiological paradigm in aortic aneurysm. , 1997, Circulation.

[2]  B. Baxter,et al.  Pathogenesis of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm: An Update and Look toward the Future , 1997, Cardiovascular surgery.

[3]  S. Packman,et al.  Expression and accumulation of lysyl oxidase, elastin, and type I procollagen in human Menkes and mottled mouse fibroblasts. , 1993, Archives of biochemistry and biophysics.

[4]  G. Chejfec,et al.  Correlation of inflammatory infiltrate with the enlargement of experimental aortic aneurysms. , 1992, Journal of vascular surgery.

[5]  W. Pearce,et al.  Human abdominal aortic aneurysms. Immunophenotypic analysis suggesting an immune-mediated response. , 1990, The American journal of pathology.

[6]  J. Michel,et al.  Elastase-induced experimental aneurysms in rats. , 1990, Circulation.

[7]  Janet T. Powell,et al.  The Cause and Management of Aneurysms , 1990 .

[8]  C. Brophy,et al.  Age of onset, pattern of distribution, and histology of aneurysm development in a genetically predisposed mouse model. , 1988, Journal of vascular surgery.

[9]  Eisenberg,et al.  Aneurysm of the rabbit common carotid artery induced by periarterial application of calcium chloride in vivo. , 1988, The Journal of clinical investigation.

[10]  J. Powell,et al.  Elastin degradation in abdominal aortic aneurysms. , 1987, Atherosclerosis.

[11]  G. Hutchins,et al.  Risk factors for the development and rupture of intracranial berry aneurysms. , 1985, The American journal of medicine.

[12]  R. Levinsky,et al.  Platelet immune complex interaction in pathogenesis of Kawasaki disease and childhood polyarteritis. , 1985, British medical journal.

[13]  W. Stehbens.  THE ULTRASTRUCTURE OF EXPERIMENTAL ANEURYSMS IN RABBITS , 1985, Pathology.

[14]  M. J. Mitchinson,et al.  Chronic periaortitis and periarteritis , 1984, Histopathology.

[15]  W H Baker,et al.  Elastolytic and collagenolytic studies of arteries. Implications for the mechanical properties of aneurysms. , 1984, Archives of surgery.

[16]  E. Gilbert,et al.  Light- and electron-microscopic observations of theophylline-induced aortic aneurysms in embryonic chicks. , 1983, The American journal of pathology.

[17]  W. Roberts,et al.  Effect of chronic hypercalcemia on the heart. An analysis of 18 necropsy patients. , 1981, The American journal of medicine.

[18]  W. J. White,et al.  Spontaneous aortic aneurysms in blotchy mice. , 1975, The American journal of pathology.

[19]  D. Hunt,et al.  Primary defect in copper transport underlies mottled mutants in the mouse , 1974, Nature.

[20]  A. Lansing.  The rôle of elastic tissue in the formation of the arteriosclerotic lesion. , 1952, Annals of internal medicine.

[21]  P. A. Wheeler,et al.  Calcification of the Media of the Human Aorta and Its Relation to Intimal Arteriosclerosis, Ageing and Disease. , 1944, The American journal of pathology.