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Do vivarium conditions influence atherosclerotic lesion size?

Atherosclerotic lesion measurement in mice has become a stalwart index as an experimental approach for mechanistic investigations. Currently, there are no generally accepted standards for measurement of lesions in this species. There are many other potential issues that contribute to the variability in lesion size and responses, including sex, genetic background, and diet composition.1 These factors may contribute to the highly variable and sometimes contradictory literature. An example of contradictory literature is the role of scavenger receptor class A, which has been shown to have positive, negative, and neutral effects on mouse atherosclerotic lesion size.2

See accompanying article on page 2380 

Another potential variable in the development of mouse atherosclerosis is the infection burden of the colony. At one extreme, mice that are completely germ-free have reduced atherosclerosis.3 Conversely, increased atherosclerosis has been determined in mice with overtly induced infections, including Chlamydia pneumoniae , Porphyromonas gingivalis , and Helicobacter pylori .4 However, the majority of atherosclerosis studies are performed on mice that have an infection status between these 2 extremes. Vivaria that house these mice are characterized by a range of descriptors, including conventional, clean, specific pathogen-free, and barrier. However, …