Differences in Aortic Arch Geometry, Hemodynamics, and Plaque Patterns Between C57BL/6 and 129/SvEv Mice

Atherosclerotic plaques are distributed differently in the aortic arches of C57BL/6 (B6) and 129/SvEv (129) apolipoprotein E (apoE)- deficient mice. It is now recognized that hemodynamic shear stress plays an important role in the localization of atherosclerotic development. Since the blood flow field in the vessel is modulated by the vascular geometry, we quantitatively examined the difference in the aortic arch geometry between the two corresponding wild-type mouse strains. The three-dimensional (3-D) geometry of fourteen murine aortic arches, seven from each strain, was characterized using casts and stereo microscopic imaging. Many geometric features, including aortic arch shape, vessel diameter, and branch locations were significantly different at p