Comparison of Different Animal Models in Hindlimb Functional Recovery after Acute Limb Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury
Nadezhda N. Zheleznova,
Claire Sun,
Nakul Patel,
Nathan Hall,
Kristof M. Williams,
Jie Zhang,
Jin Wei,
Lusha Xiang,
Ridham Patel,
Sahil Soni,
Divya Sheth,
Enyin Lai,
Xingyu Qiu,
Nohely Hernandez Soto,
Ruisheng Liu
Affiliations
Nadezhda N. Zheleznova
Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology, University of South Florida College of Medicine, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
Claire Sun
Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology, University of South Florida College of Medicine, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
Nakul Patel
Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology, University of South Florida College of Medicine, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
Nathan Hall
Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology, University of South Florida College of Medicine, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
Kristof M. Williams
Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology, University of South Florida College of Medicine, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
Jie Zhang
Division of Nephrology at Boston Medical Center, Department of Medicine, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118, USA
Jin Wei
Division of Nephrology at Boston Medical Center, Department of Medicine, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118, USA
Lusha Xiang
United States Army Institute of Surgical Research, 3698 Chambers Pass BLDG 3611, Ft. Sam Houston, TX 78234, USA
Ridham Patel
Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology, University of South Florida College of Medicine, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
Sahil Soni
Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology, University of South Florida College of Medicine, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
Divya Sheth
Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology, University of South Florida College of Medicine, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
Enyin Lai
Department of Physiology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China
Xingyu Qiu
Department of Physiology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China
Nohely Hernandez Soto
Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology, University of South Florida College of Medicine, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
Ruisheng Liu
Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology, University of South Florida College of Medicine, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
Acute limb ischemia (ALI) is a sudden lack of blood flow to a limb, primarily caused by arterial embolism and thrombosis. Various experimental animal models, including non-invasive and invasive methods, have been developed and successfully used to induce limb ischemia-reperfusion injuries (L-IRI). However, there is no consensus on the methodologies used in animal models for L-IRI, particularly regarding the assessment of functional recovery. The present study aims to compare different approaches that induce L-IRI and determine the optimal animal model to study functional limb recovery. In this study, we applied a pneumatic cuff as a non-invasive method and ligated the aorta, iliac, or femoral artery as invasive methods to induce L-IRI. We have measured grip strength, motor function, creatine kinase level, inflammatory markers such as nuclear factor NF-κB, interleukin-6 (IL-6), hypoxia markers such as hypoxia-induced factor-1α (HIF-1α), and evaluated the muscle injury with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining in Sprague Dawley rats after inducing L-IRI. The pneumatic pressure cuff method significantly decreased the muscle strength of the rats, causing the loss of ability to hold the grid and inducing significant limb function impairment, while artery ligations did not. We conclude from this study that the tourniquet cuff method could be ideal for studying functional recovery after L-IRI in the rat model.
