Biomaterial Database

The von Willebrand pig as a model for atherosclerosis research. 1978

V Fuster, and E J Bowie

In order to evaluate a possible role played by platelets in the development of atherosclerosis, the aortas of 11 control pigs and 11 homozygous von Willebrand (vWd) pigs were examined for spontaneous atherosclerosis. Of the 11 normal pigs, 6 showed multiple atherosclerotic plaques with an intimal thickening of 63 to 130 micrometer. In contrast, none of the von Willebrand pigs had multiple plaques and only one showed a single lesion of more than 2 mm in diameter. In a prospective study 5 control pigs and 5 vWd pigs were given a high (2%) cholesterol diet from the age of 3 to 9 months. All of the controls developed atherosclerotic plaques. In 4 of the pigs the plaques exceeded 13% of the aortic surface with an intimal thickening of 50 to 390 micrometer. In contrast, only one of the vWd pigs developed atherosclerotic plaques which only involved 7% of the aortic surface. Most of the vWd pigs, however, developed non-atherosclerotic flat fatty lesions. These findings may be related to the impaired platelet arterial wall interaction in vWd. The vWd pigs seem to be an ideal model for atherosclerosis research.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008297	Male		Males
D001792	Blood Platelets	Non-nucleated disk-shaped cells formed in the megakaryocyte and found in the blood of all mammals. They are mainly involved in blood coagulation.	Platelets,Thrombocytes,Blood Platelet,Platelet,Platelet, Blood,Platelets, Blood,Thrombocyte
D004036	Diet, Atherogenic	A diet that contributes to the development and acceleration of ATHEROGENESIS.	Atherogenic Diet,Atherogenic Diets,Diets, Atherogenic
D004195	Disease Models, Animal	Naturally-occurring or experimentally-induced animal diseases with pathological processes analogous to human diseases.	Animal Disease Model,Animal Disease Models,Disease Model, Animal
D005260	Female		Females
D006720	Homozygote	An individual in which both alleles at a given locus are identical.	Homozygotes
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D001161	Arteriosclerosis	Thickening and loss of elasticity of the walls of ARTERIES of all sizes. There are many forms classified by the types of lesions and arteries involved, such as ATHEROSCLEROSIS with fatty lesions in the ARTERIAL INTIMA of medium and large muscular arteries.	Arterioscleroses
D013552	Swine	Any of various animals that constitute the family Suidae and comprise stout-bodied, short-legged omnivorous mammals with thick skin, usually covered with coarse bristles, a rather long mobile snout, and small tail. Included are the genera Babyrousa, Phacochoerus (wart hogs), and Sus, the latter containing the domestic pig (see SUS SCROFA).	Phacochoerus,Pigs,Suidae,Warthogs,Wart Hogs,Hog, Wart,Hogs, Wart,Wart Hog
D014842	von Willebrand Diseases	Group of hemorrhagic disorders in which the VON WILLEBRAND FACTOR is either quantitatively or qualitatively abnormal. They are usually inherited as an autosomal dominant trait though rare kindreds are autosomal recessive. Symptoms vary depending on severity and disease type but may include prolonged bleeding time, deficiency of factor VIII, and impaired platelet adhesion.	Angiohemophilia,Hemophilia, Vascular,von Willebrand Disease,Vascular Pseudohemophilia,Von Willebrand Disorder,Von Willebrand's Factor Deficiency,von Willebrand Disease, Recessive Form,von Willebrand's Disease,von Willebrand's Diseases,Angiohemophilias,Disorder, Von Willebrand,Pseudohemophilia, Vascular,Pseudohemophilias, Vascular,Vascular Hemophilia,Vascular Hemophilias,Vascular Pseudohemophilias