Abstract:

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are characterized by high morbidity, disability, and mortality rates, making them one of the leading causes of human death worldwide. Vascular remodeling refers to changes in the structure and function of blood vessels under pathological or physiological conditions, typically occurring during processes such as tissue damage repair and disease progression. Investigating the mechanisms of vascular remodeling helps in understanding the progression of CVD, thereby developing more effective early diagnosis and treatment plans, and providing new insights for the prevention and treatment of CVD. The modeling methods of vascular remodeling are the foundation for studying vascular remodeling. Significant progress has been made in vascular remodeling models for studying multiple disease mechanisms, and they are particularly important in the fields of atherosclerosis, hypertension, and vascular remodeling. Common animal models for vascular remodeling include rats, mice, pigs, and other species. Research methods cover mechanical injury, drug intervention, genetic modification, and so on. Different types of animal models have their own advantages. For example, mouse and rat models are suitable for gene studies and high-throughput screening, while rabbit and monkey models, due to their closer resemblance to human pathology, are helpful for simulating vascular remodeling under clinical conditions. Among them, rat models are widely used as frontline models in medical research due to their cost-effectiveness and ease of operation. Current vascular remodeling models mainly rely on classical methods (such as carotid artery balloon injury method, ligation method, and arterial clamping) and are combined with emerging dietary methods (such as high-fat diet, high-salt diet) for construction. Different rat modeling methods are selected according to different experimental needs. The combination of these methods can effectively simulate different mechanisms of vascular remodeling and provide reliable animal models for CVD research. In addition, these rat models can reflect vascular responses under different pathological conditions, offering an important experimental basis for drug development and the formulation of disease treatment strategies. Although these rat models provide valuable tools for vascular remodeling research, challenges such as large model variability, poor reproducibility, and differences from clinical manifestations remain. Future research should focus on improving the accuracy and reliability of existing models to develop new animal models. This article uses rats as examples to summarize the current research progress, model types, and applications of vascular remodeling models, particularly their value in CVD and vascular remodeling research, and provides a theoretical reference for future vascular remodeling-related research by reviewing the advantages and disadvantages of different rat vascular remodeling models.

Key words: Animal models, Vascular remodeling, Cardiovascular diseases, Hypertension, Rats