Animal Models of Atherosclerosis and Interpretation of Drug Intervention Studies

Atherosclerosis has often been defined as a multifactoral disease; however, a common risk factor associated with accelerated vascular disease in man or animals is an elevated plasma cholesterol level. Even though there is no one perfect animal model that completely replicates the stages of human atherosclerosis, cholesterol feeding and mechanical endothelial injury are two common features shared by most models of atherosclerosis. The models may...