Abstract
Hypertension is an independent risk factor for atherosclerosis. However, few models of hypertensive atherosclerosis have been established in medical research. In this study, we crossed the ApoE knockout (ApoE-KO; ApoE(-/-)) atherosclerotic mouse model with the NOS3 knockout (NOS3-KO; NOS3(-/-)) hypertensive mouse model to establish an ApoE/NOS3 double knockout (ApoE/NOS3-KO; ApoE/NOS3(-/-)) hypertensive atherosclerosis mouse model. We found that ApoE/NOS3(-/-) mice reproduced normally, had a blood pressure of 133.00 ± 3.85 mmHg, and developed hypertensive fundus retinopathy and hypertensive nephropathy. In addition, serum total cholesterol (TC) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels in the blood were abnormally elevated, steatosis was observed in the liver cells, and atherosclerotic lesions were observed in the aortic vessels in ApoE/NOS3(-/-) adult mice. In conclusion, ApoE/NOS3(-/-) adult mice are a satisfactory model of hypertension and atherosclerosis and can be utilized for studies on cardiovascular diseases.