Miniature pigs are very similar to humans in terms of arterial anatomy and physiology, and are currently the most ideal animal model for studying atherosclerosis (AS) related diseases. So far, various methods that can simulate the AS model of mini pigs have been published. In addition to the traditional high-fat diet + balloon strain, there are new methods such as gene editing and local injection to induce spontaneous hyperlipidemia. Lipids flow into the coronary wall or inflammatory factors.
However, there is currently no mature and recognized mini-pig coronary atherosclerosis model. Long modeling cycle, low success rate, and high cost are the bottlenecks that limit the research of piglet animal models. This article summarizes the breeds and methods of mini pigs suitable for modeling.