Rabbit model in the pre-clinical studies of a new generation of coronary stents

Coronary artery occlusion is a very important problem in human medicine. A great progress in the treatment was the introduction of stents. The most popular are drug-eluting stents, which prevent restnosis. Nowadays, more than 30 different types of stents are implanted into the coronary arteries, and these stents are still being improved. Animal models make it possible to verify theoretical assumptions and are considered very useful for understanding the mechanisms of the system response and for evaluating the effectiveness and safety of this factor. To bring the rabbit model closer to conditions under which stents are implanted, rabbits are fed a fat-rich diet, often with 0.5-2.0% cholesterol, and, occasionally, their vessel walls are damaged with a balloon, ligation narrowing the lumen, or a stent of a slightly excessive diameter, which damages the endothelium. A standard protocol for this type of experiments has not yet been developed. The rabbit model has become a very valuable and widely recognized model in pre-clinical studies of vascular stents, since it is useful for a reliable preliminary evaluation of new materials. The reactions of the human body to the new material are comparable to the reactions obtained previously in the rabbit model. Although there is no animal model perfectly imitating the conditions in human coronary arteries affected by chronic coronary disease, pre-clinical studies carried out on the rabbit model have opened new horizons for saving human health and lives.

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