Study of the stability of atherosclerotic plaque in minipigs

The atherosclerotic animal model was established, whose pathological changes and the plasma lipid level are as same as the atherosclerotic injury in human, and then the stability of atherosclerotic plaque was studied. The miniswine resemble human in the physiology, biochemistry and anatomy. So it is a very appropriate candidate animal for atherosclerosis study. The miniswine atherosclerotic model by high lipid and high cholesterol diet was successfully established,whose plaque included a necrotic lipid core, a thin fibrin cap, a lot of foam cells and inflammatory cells. Calcify and intraplaque hemorrhage might be found in plaque. Based on the pathological character, the model might be as an appropriate tool for the study of plaque rupture and stability. Atherosclerotic plaque rupture was the major cause of the clinic cardiovascular diseases. To study the mechanics of plaque rupture had important significance. The establishment of the appropriate animal model of plaque rupture was the premiss to study the mechanism of plaque rupture. The established animal model existed deficiency on many aspects, such as uncontrolling and quantifying the pressure which led to plaque rupture, and whether the rupture was really existed. A swine model of plaque rupture was established in the experiment, which had much excellences, such as the pressure which led to plaque rupture could be controlled and qualified in vitro, and the way was very simple. So it provided a very good animal model for studying plaque rupture and the relation of rupture and related factors with rupture.