ApoE/ NOS3 Knockout Mice as a Novel Cardiovascular Disease Model of Hypertension and Atherosclerosis

Genes (Basel). 2022 Nov 1;13(11):1998. doi: 10.3390/genes13111998.

Abstract

Hypertension is an independent risk factor for atherosclerosis. However, few models of hypertensive atherosclerosis have been established in medical research. In this study, we crossed the ApoE knockout (ApoE-KO; ApoE-/-) atherosclerotic mouse model with the NOS3 knockout (NOS3-KO; NOS3-/-) hypertensive mouse model to establish an ApoE/NOS3 double knockout (ApoE/NOS3-KO; ApoE/NOS3-/-) hypertensive atherosclerosis mouse model. We found that ApoE/NOS3-/- mice reproduced normally, had a blood pressure of 133.00 ± 3.85 mmHg, and developed hypertensive fundus retinopathy and hypertensive nephropathy. In addition, serum total cholesterol (TC) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels in the blood were abnormally elevated, steatosis was observed in the liver cells, and atherosclerotic lesions were observed in the aortic vessels in ApoE/NOS3-/- adult mice. In conclusion, ApoE/NOS3-/- adult mice are a satisfactory model of hypertension and atherosclerosis and can be utilized for studies on cardiovascular diseases.

Keywords: ApoE; NOS3; atherosclerosis; double gene knockout; effect assessment; hypertension.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Apolipoproteins E / genetics
  • Atherosclerosis* / genetics
  • Cardiovascular Diseases*
  • Hypertension* / genetics
  • Mice
  • Mice, Knockout
  • Mice, Knockout, ApoE
  • Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III

Substances

  • Apolipoproteins E
  • Nos3 protein, mouse
  • Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III

Grants and funding

This study was funded and supported by the Key R&D Program of Guangzhou (grant No. 202103000068) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant No. 32272873).