Effects on duration of post-operative ischemia and patterns of blood flow recovery in different conditions of mouse hind limb ischemia

Male BALB/c mice were used. The ligation over needle method involved placing a suture needle over the femoral artery, ligating over it and then removing the needle. The transfixation method involved transfixing the approximate center of the femoral artery and then tying the suture. Laser Doppler Perfusion Imaging was used to assess perfusion every 3rd day until 42 days after the procedure.Ligation over needle method: Immediately post procedure, mean perfusion was -71.87% ± 4.43. Then mean difference in perfusion remained below the base line reading on days 3, 6, 9, and 12. From day 15 on wards mean perfusion progressively improved remaining near base line. Transfixation Method: Immediately post procedure mean perfusion was -70.82% ± 4.73. Mean perfusion improved following the procedure on days 3 and 6; a plateau followed this on days 9, 12 and 15. From day 15 onwards perfusion progressively improved remaining well below base line until crossing it on day 36.The currently described models do not pose major improvements over previously described methods.Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a clinical manifestation of atherosclerosis affecting the aorto-iliac and infra-inguinal arterial trees. Intermittent claudication is the classical symptom of PAD [1,2]; patients may be asymptomatic or present with non-healing ulcers and tissue loss. More relevantly, PAD can also be considered as a marker of systemic atherosclerosis, as patients with PAD are at greater risk of having myocardial infarction [3] and ischemic stroke [4].Translational approaches using mouse models of hind limb ischemia have advantages over other animal models. Mice require less food [5], housing space [6], and time to acquire Laser Doppler Perfusion Imaging scans as compared to other rodents.In general, previously described mouse models of ischemia revolve around the same scheme [7-11]. After exposure, the femoral artery of the hind limb is dissected free from the surrounding tissue. Then ligations are m