Critical limb ischemia (CLI) is primarily associated with a high risk of major amputation, cardiovascular events, and death. The current therapy involves direct endovascular intervention and is associated with long-term recurrence. However, patients with significant comorbidities are not eligible for this therapy. Hind limb ischemia model via femoral artery excision has commonly been used to determine therapeutic potential and for investigating cellular and molecular mechanisms. This protocol describes the ischemic model development in NOD/SCID mice and the use of human umbilical cord blood-derived and nanofiber scaffold-expanded CD34+ stem cells to investigate the efficacy of regenerative therapy.
Keywords: CD34+ stem cells; Critical limb ischemia; Femoral artery excision; Peripheral artery disease.