Mouse models of focal arterial and venous thrombosis

Mouse models of arterial and venous thrombosis have gained increasing inter est over the last 15 years, due to direct availability of a growing number of genetically modified mice, improved technical feasibility, standardizati on of new models of local thrombosis, and low maintenance costs. In order t o provide an overview of suitable models for the study of arterial and veno us thrombosis in mice, we have systematically searched MEDLINE electronic d atabases for publications reporting on murine thrombo-embolic models from 1 966-1999. We found that the variety of murine thromboembolic models through 1995 was rather limited, as most methods used intravenous injections of st rong coagulation triggers such as thrombin, thromboplastin and collagen, ca using lethal thromboembolism. Between 1996 and the end of 1999, a number of more sophisticated murine models of local acute or chronic thrombosis have been established. They seem to be more suitable for mimicking the natural scenario of thrombosis and, therefore, are preferable models for pathophysi ological or drug evaluation studies. In this paper various models are descr ibed and their advantages and limitations discussed.