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Method Article
We describe a surgical procedure used to induce peripheral ischemia in rabbits with hyperlipidemia and diabetes. This surgery acts as a preclinical model for conditions experienced in peripheral artery disease in patients. Angiography is also described as a means to measure the extent of introduced ischemia and recovery of perfusion.
Peripheral vascular disease is a widespread clinical problem that affects millions of patients worldwide. A major consequence of peripheral vascular disease is the development of ischemia. In severe cases, patients can develop critical limb ischemia in which they experience constant pain and an increased risk of limb amputation. Current therapies for peripheral ischemia include bypass surgery or percutaneous interventions such as angioplasty with stenting or atherectomy to restore blood flow. However, these treatments often fail to the continued progression of vascular disease or restenosis or are contraindicated due to the overall poor health of the patient. A promising potential approach to treat peripheral ischemia involves the induction of therapeutic neovascularization to allow the patient to develop collateral vasculature. This newly formed network alleviates peripheral ischemia by restoring perfusion to the affected area. The most frequently employed preclinical model for peripheral ischemia utilizes the creation of hind limb ischemia in healthy rabbits through femoral artery ligation. In the past, however, there has been a strong disconnect between the success of preclinical studies and the failure of clinical trials regarding treatments for peripheral ischemia. Healthy animals typically have robust vascular regeneration in response to surgically induced ischemia, in contrast to the reduced vascularity and regeneration in patients with chronic peripheral ischemia. Here, we describe an optimized animal model for peripheral ischemia in rabbits that includes hyperlipidemia and diabetes. This model has reduced collateral formation and blood pressure recovery in comparison to a model with a higher cholesterol diet. Thus, the model may provide better correlation with human patients with compromised angiogenesis from the common co-morbidities that accompany peripheral vascular disease.
Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a common circulatory disorder in which the progression of atherosclerotic plaque formation leads to a narrowing of blood vessels in the limbs of the body. The recent increase in risk factors for atherosclerosis, including diabetes, obesity, and inactivity, has led to increasing prevalence of vascular disease1. Currently, it is estimated that 12%–20% of the general population over 60 years old has peripheral arterial disease2. A major consequence of peripheral arterial disease is the development of peripheral ischemia, most commonly found in the lower limbs. In severe cases, patients can develop critical limb ischemia, a state in which there is constant pain due to a lack of blood flow. Patients with critical limb ischemia have a 50% likelihood of having one limb amputated within one year of diagnosis. Furthermore, patients with diabetes have a higher incidence of peripheral arterial disease and poorer outcomes following interventions for revascularization3,4. Current therapies for peripheral ischemia include percutaneous interventions such as atherectomy and stenting or surgical bypass. However, for many patients these treatments only provide short-term benefits and many are not healthy enough for major surgical procedures. In this work, we describe a preclinical animal model for testing new treatments targeting peripheral vascular disease that incorporates the generation of peripheral ischemia in rabbits through surgical ligation in the context of the diabetic disease state.
The hind limb ischemia model in rabbits has been used as a physiological model for obstructive vascular disease and preclinical precursor to human studies for over half a century5,6. Rabbits are often a preferred species for studies on peripheral ischemia due to the developed musculature of the ankle and calf muscle, in contrast to common large animal models that are ungulates (animals with hooves). Several recent reviews have addressed the use of this model and others in modeling peripheral vascular disease in humans7,8. Similar models using hind limb ischemia in rabbits were used in preclinical studies of growth factors9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20, gene therapy21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30,31,32,33,34,35,36,37,38,39,40,41,42,43,44, and stem cells45,46,47,48,49,50,51for therapeutic neovascularization in the limbs. Unfortunately, the clinical trials that followed these successful animal studies did not show significant benefits for patients52.
One suggested explanation of the reason for this translational failure is that the condition of peripheral ischemia in human patients is one that includes resistance to angiogenic signals53,54,55,56,57,58,59. Several studies have shown defects in angiogenic signaling pathways in diabetes and hyperglycemia. Diabetes and hyperlipidemia lead to a loss of heparan sulfate proteoglycans and an increase in enzymes that cut heparan sulfate, presenting a potential mechanism for resistance to therapeutic angiogenesis/arteriogenesis with growth factors60,61. Thus, a key feature of a model for peripheral ischemia should include an aspect of therapeutic resistance so that therapies may be evaluated in the context of the disease state present in human patients.
In this work, we describe a rabbit model of peripheral ischemia through surgical ligation of the femoral arteries. A lead-in period with the induction of diabetes and hyperlipidemia is incorporated into the model. We compared this model to another model that incorporates a higher fat diet without diabetes and found that the model with diabetes and lower level of hyperlipidemia was more effective in reducing blood vessel growth. Our model combines advancements that have been used by separate groups, with the goal of providing a practical and standardized method to achieve consistent results in peripheral vascular disease research.
Studies involving animals were performed with the approval of the University of Texas at Austin and the UTHealth Science Center at Houston Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), the Animal Care and Use Review Office (ACURO) of The United States Army Medical Research and Materiel Command Office of Research Protections, and in accordance with NIH guidelines for animal care.
1. Induction of diabetes and hyperlipidemia
2. Preparation of rabbit for surgery
3. Angiography
4. Isolation of the femoral artery
5. Repeat angiography
6. Wound closure and recovery
7. Monitoring
8. Treatment
9. Endpoint angiography, euthanasia, perfusion fixation and tissue harvest
Following induction of diabetes and initiation of the 0.1% cholesterol diet, the total cholesterol for the rabbits with diabetes and cholesterol diet was 123.3 ± 35.1 mg/dL (n = 6 male rabbits) averaged overall time points and rabbits. The BGL level for these rabbits was 248.3 ± 50.4 mg/dL (n = 6 male rabbits). A time course for blood chemistries and leg blood pressure ratios in a typical rabbit is shown in Figure 3 in comparison to rabbits under a higher choles...
We have presented a preclinical model for inducing hind limb ischemia in rabbits with diabetes and hyperlipidemia. In many studies, there is ambiguity to the technique used to create hind limb ischemia in rabbits. In mice, the severity and recovery from hind limb ischemia is highly dependent on the location the ligation and technique used to induce ischemia. The significance of the technique presented in this work is that it allows for the consistent induction of ischemia that does not fully recover after 8 weeks in diab...
The authors have nothing to disclose.
The authors gratefully acknowledge funding through the Department of Defense Congressionally Directed Research Program (DOD CDMRP; W81XWH-16-1-0582) to ABB and RS. The authors also acknowledge funding through the American Heart Association (17IRG33410888), the DOD CDMRP (W81XWH-16-1-0580) and the National Institutes of Health (1R21EB023551-01; 1R21EB024147-01A1; 1R01HL141761-01) to ABB.
Name | Company | Catalog Number | Comments |
0.9% Sodium Chloride | Henry Schein Medical | 1537468 / 1531434 | 250 mL bag / 1000 mL irrigation btl |
1 mL Syringe | VWR | BD309628 | |
10 mL Syringe | VWR | BD309695 | |
10% Formalin | Fisher-Scientific | 23-245684 | |
18G Needle | VWR | 89219-294 | |
20G Needle | VWR | 89219-340 | |
25G Needle | VWR | 89219-290 | |
27G Needle | VWR | 89219-288 | |
5 mL Syringe | VWR | BD309646 | |
5% Dextrose | Patterson Veterinary | 07-800-9689 | |
Acepromazine | Patterson Veterinary | VEDC207 | |
Alfaxalone | Patterson Veterinary | 07-891-6051 | |
Alginate | Sigma-Aldrich | PHR1471-1G | |
Alloxan Monohydrate | Sigma-Aldrich | A7413 | |
Angiography Equipment | Toshiba | Infinix-i | |
Angiography Injector | Medrad | ||
Anti-Mouse Ab Alexa 594 | Thermo Fisher Scientific | A-11032 | Secondary Antibody for IHC |
Anti-Rabbit Ab Alexa 488 | Thermo Fisher Scientific | A-11008 | Secondary Antibody for IHC |
a-SMA Antibody | Abcam | ab5694 | Primary Antibody for IHC |
Baytril | Bayer Animal Health | 724089904201 | Enrofloxacin |
Blood Chemistry Panel | IDEXX | 2616 | Rabbit Panel |
Blood Pressure Cuff | WelchAllyn | Flexiport Disposable BP Cuff-infant size 7 | |
Blood Pressure Monitor | Vmed Technology | Vmed Vet-Dop2 | |
Bupivacaine | Henry Schein Medical | 6023287 | |
Buprenorphine | Patterson Veterinary | 42023017905 | |
Buprenorphine SR | ZooPharm | ||
Calcium Sulfate | CB Minerals | Food and Pharmaceutical Grade USP and FCC | |
Chlorhexidine Scrub | Patterson Veterinary | 07-888-4598 | |
Chloroform | Fisher-Scientific | C298-4 | |
Cholesterol | Sigma-Aldrich | C8503 | |
DAPI | Thermo Fisher Scientific | 62248 | |
Ear Vein Catheter | Patterson Veterinary | SR-OX165 | Surflo IV catheters |
Endotracheal tube | Patterson Veterinary | Sheridan Brand, Depends on Rabbit Size | |
Glucometer | Amazon | B001A67WH2 | Accu-Chek Aviva |
Glucometer Test Strips | McKesson Medical-Surgical | 788222 | Accu-Chek Aviva Plus |
Guidewire | Boston Scientific | 39122-01 | |
Hair Clippers | Amazon | B000CQZI3Q | Oster #40 blade |
Heating Pad | Cincinnati Subzero | 273 | |
Heating Pad Pump | Gaymar | Gaymar T/Pump | |
Hemostat | Fine Science Tools | 13009-12 | Curved Mosquito Hemostat |
Heparin | Patterson Veterinary | ||
Insertion Tool | Merit Medical Systems | MAP550 | metal wire insertion tool |
Insulin | HPB Pharmacy | Novalin R & Novalin N | |
Insulin Syringes | McKesson Medical-Surgical | 942674 | |
Introducer | Cook Medical | G28954 | 3F Check Flo Performer Introducer |
Isoflurane | Henry Schein Medical | 1100734 | |
Ketamine | Patterson Veterinary | 856440301 | |
Lactated Ringers | McKesson Medical-Surgical | 186662 | |
Lidocaine | McKesson Medical-Surgical | 239936 | |
Lidocaine/Prilocaine cream | McKesson Medical-Surgical | 761240 | |
Ligaloop | V. Mueller | CH117 / CH116 | White Mini / Yellow Mini |
Mazola Corn Oil | Amazon | B0049IIVCI | |
Medrad Syringe | McKesson Medical-Surgical | 346920 | 150 mL |
Meloxicam | Patterson Veterinary | ||
Metal ball sutures | Ethicon-Johnson & Johnson | K891H | 4-0 silk C-1 30" |
Metzenbaum Scissors | Fine Science Tools | 14019-13 | |
Midazolam | Henry Schein Medical | 1215470 | |
Nitroglycerin | McKesson Medical-Surgical | 927528 | |
PECAM Antibody | Novus Biologicals | NB600-562 | Primary Antibody for IHC |
Perfusion Pump | Masterflex | ||
Pigtail Catheter | Merit Medical Systems | 1310-21-0053 | 3F pigtail |
Polydioxanone (PDS II) suture | McKesson Medical-Surgical | 129271 | 4-0 taper RB-1 (needle comes on suture) |
Polydioxanone (PDS II) suture | McKesson Medical-Surgical | 129031 | 4-0 reverse cutting FS-2 |
Polyglactin 910 (Vicryl) suture | Butler | 7233-41 | 3-0 taper RB-1 |
Polyglactin 910 (Vicryl) suture | McKesson | 104373 | 4-0 reverse cutting FS-2 |
Rabbit Chow (Alfalfa) | LabDiet | 5321 | |
Rabbit Restrainer | VWR | 10718-000 | |
Rib Cutters | V. Mueller | ||
Scalpel | Fine Science Tools | 10003-12 | |
Scalpel Blade | Fine Science Tools | 10015-00 | #15 blade |
Silk Sutures | Ethicon-Johnson & Johnson | A183H | 4-0 silk ties 18" |
Stainless Steel Ball | McMaster-Carr | 1598K23 | 3-mm diameter |
Surgical Drapes | Gepco | 8204S | |
Syringe Pump | DRE Veterinary | Versaflow VF-300 | |
Visipaque contrast media | McKesson Medical-Surgical | 509055 | |
Weitlaner Retractor | Fine Science Tools | 17012-13 |
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