Mouse model of femoral artery denudation injury associated with the rapid accumulation of adhesion molecules on the luminal surface and recruitment of neutrophils

Techniques of arterial injury commonly used in animals to mimic endovascular procedures are not suitable for small mouse arteries. This has limited examination of the response to arterial injury in genetically modified mice. We therefore sought to develop a model of transluminal injury to the mouse femoral artery that would be reproducible and result in substantial levels of intimal hyperplasia. Mice of the C57BL/6 strain underwent bilateral femoral artery denudation by passage of an angioplasty guidewire. Intimal hyperplasia was observed in 10% of injured arteries at 1 week, in 88% at 2 weeks, and in 90% at 4 weeks. The mean intimal-to-medial area ratio reached 1.1+/-0.1 at 4 weeks. No intimal proliferation was found in control sham-operated arteries. One hour after injury, the denuded surface was covered with platelets and leukocytes, predominantly neutrophils. This was associated with the accumulation of P-selectin, intercellular adhesion molecule-1, and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1. Expression of these adhesion molecules was not seen in the underlying medial smooth muscle cells. At 24 hours, few neutrophils remained on the denuded surface. At 1 week, macrophages and platelets were present in the vessel wall, partially covered by regenerated endothelium. Transluminal wire injury to the mouse femoral artery induces abundant intimal hyperplasia formation by 2 and 4 weeks and elicits the rapid accumulation of leukocytes and adhesion molecules on the denuded luminal surface. This model will be a valuable tool to study arterial injury in genetically modified mouse models.