Table 1.

Animal models of atherosclerosis

Animal model	Advantages	Limitations
Mouse	1 Rapid development of atherosclerotic plaque	1 Limited resemblance to humans
	2 Short reproductive cycle + large litters	2 Limited complex atherosclerotic lesion formation
	3 Well-known genome + genome manipulation possible	3 Very high levels of blood lipids + different lipid profile
	4 Cheap
Rat	1 Useful as restenosis model	1 No development of atherosclerotic lesions
	2 Cheap
Rabbit	1 Fibroatheroma lesions	1 Need for high plasma cholesterol levels to develop atherosclerosis
	2 Useful as restenosis model	2 No plaque rupture model
	3 Affordable	3 Model for neointima formation + re-endothelialisation rather than atherosclerosis
		4 Coronary evaluation difficult
Pig	1 Atherosclerotic lesions similar to human disease	1 Expensive
	2 Blood lipids in human range	2 Difficult to handle due to size
	3 Invasive coronary imaging possible	3 Limited genomic tools
	4 Useful as restenosis model post-intervention
	5 Useful for detailed coronary endothelial function studies
Monkey	1 Atherosclerotic lesions similar to human disease	1 Ethical concerns
	2 Influence of behavioural factors, e.g. psychosocial stress	2 Very expensive
	3 Influence of hormonal status	3 Difficult to handle