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Acta Neurologica Belgica Apr 2020Transient ischemic attack (TIA) is defined as a brief episode of neurological dysfunction caused by focal cerebral ischemia. TIA is a critical early warning signal of... (Review)
Review
Transient ischemic attack (TIA) is defined as a brief episode of neurological dysfunction caused by focal cerebral ischemia. TIA is a critical early warning signal of stroke. Patients with TIA may have long-term cognitive decline. The pathogenesis and pathological changes of TIA have not been fully elucidated. Animal models can simulate the process of human diseases and are essential tools to investigate injury mechanisms and therapeutic approaches of TIA. Most TIA animal models are based on ischemic stroke models and the definition of TIA. Each model has unique strengths and weaknesses. The establishment of a successful and reliable TIA model should follow three criteria: (1) objective evidence of cerebral arteries occlusion and reperfusion, (2) no permanent neurological deficit, and (3) no acute cerebral infarction. However, experimental animal models are impossible to be completely consistent with human TIA, because TIA itself is a heterogeneous disease. In the present review, the selection of animals, methodological development, and evaluation of cerebral blood flow of animal models of TIA are comprehensively evaluated.
Topics: Animals; Disease Models, Animal; Ischemic Attack, Transient
PubMed: 32048230
DOI: 10.1007/s13760-020-01295-5 -
Clinical & Experimental Optometry Nov 2015Our current understanding of the development of refractive errors, in particular myopia, would be substantially limited had Wiesel and Raviola not discovered by accident... (Review)
Review
Our current understanding of the development of refractive errors, in particular myopia, would be substantially limited had Wiesel and Raviola not discovered by accident that monkeys develop axial myopia as a result of deprivation of form vision. Similarly, if Josh Wallman and colleagues had not found that simple plastic goggles attached to the chicken eye generate large amounts of myopia, the chicken model would perhaps not have become such an important animal model. Contrary to previous assumptions about the mechanisms of myopia, these animal models suggested that eye growth is visually controlled locally by the retina, that an afferent connection to the brain is not essential and that emmetropisation uses more sophisticated cues than just the magnitude of retinal blur. While animal models have shown that the retina can determine the sign of defocus, the underlying mechanism is still not entirely clear. Animal models have also provided knowledge about the biochemical nature of the signal cascade converting the output of retinal image processing to changes in choroidal thickness and scleral growth; however, a critical question was, and still is, can the results from animal models be applied to myopia in children? While the basic findings from chickens appear applicable to monkeys, some fundamental questions remain. If eye growth is guided by visual feedback, why is myopic development not self-limiting? Why does undercorrection not arrest myopic progression even though positive lenses induce myopic defocus, which leads to the development of hyperopia in emmetropic animals? Why do some spectacle or contact lens designs reduce myopic progression and others not? It appears that some major differences exist between animals reared with imposed defocus and children treated with various optical corrections, although without the basic knowledge obtained from animal models, we would be lost in an abundance of untestable hypotheses concerning human myopia.
Topics: Animals; Biomedical Research; Disease Progression; Humans; Models, Animal; Myopia; Refraction, Ocular
PubMed: 26769177
DOI: 10.1111/cxo.12312 -
Immunity, Inflammation and Disease Mar 2021Rheumatoid arthritis-associated interstitial lung disease (RA-ILD) is an irreversible pathologic condition of unknown cause, commonly involving the joint and the lung... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Rheumatoid arthritis-associated interstitial lung disease (RA-ILD) is an irreversible pathologic condition of unknown cause, commonly involving the joint and the lung with variable amounts of fibrotic change. In contrast to rheumatoid arthritis or other chronic interstitial lung diseases such as interstitial pulmonary fibrosis, there is so far no extensively accepted or implemented animal model for this disease.
AIMS
To provide guidance for those who are investigating the pathogenesis of RA-ILD with animal models.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
An analysis of papers from PubMed during 1978-2020.
RESULTS
We outline the present status quo for animal models of RA-ILD about their modeling methods and pathogenesis, compare their pros and cons with respect to their ability to mimic the clinical and histological features of human disease and discuss their applicability for future research.
DISCUSSION
There is no doubt that these animal models do provide valuable information relating to the pathogenesis of RA-ILD and the development of effective therapeutic drugs. Nevertheless, these animal models can not entirely recapitulate clinical pathology and have some limitations in experimental research application. Therefore, it should be emphasized that we should improve and explore animal models in more accordance with the pathogenesis and clinical characteristics of human RA-ILD.
CONCLUSION
These established animal models of the disease can significantly progress our understanding of the etiology of RA-ILD, the fundamental mechanisms of its pathogenesis and the identification of new bio-markers, and can contribute to the development and implementation of novel treatment strategies.
Topics: Animals; Arthritis, Rheumatoid; Biomarkers; Disease Models, Animal; Humans; Lung; Lung Diseases, Interstitial
PubMed: 33216465
DOI: 10.1002/iid3.377 -
International Journal of Molecular... Jun 2023Cannabinoids are active substances present in plants of the genus. Both the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Medicines Agency (EMA) have approved several... (Review)
Review
Cannabinoids are active substances present in plants of the genus. Both the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Medicines Agency (EMA) have approved several medicinal products containing natural cannabinoids or their synthetic derivatives for the treatment of drug-resistant epilepsy, nausea and vomiting associated with cancer chemotherapy, anorexia in AIDS patients, and the alleviation of symptoms in patients with multiple sclerosis. In fact, cannabinoids constitute a broad group of molecules with a possible therapeutic potential that could be used in the management of much more diseases than mentioned above; therefore, multiple preclinical and clinical studies on cannabinoids have been carried out in recent years. (zebrafish) is an animal model that has gained more attention lately due to its numerous advantages, including easy and fast reproduction, the significant similarity of the zebrafish genome to the human one, simplicity of genetic modifications, and body transparency during the early stages of development. A number of studies have confirmed the usefulness of this model in toxicological research, experiments related to the impact of early life exposure to xenobiotics, modeling various diseases, and screening tests to detect active substances with promising biological activity. The present paper focuses on the current knowledge of the endocannabinoid system in the zebrafish model, and it summarizes the results and observations from studies investigating the pharmacological effects of natural and synthetic cannabinoids that were carried out in . The presented data support the notion that the zebrafish model is a suitable animal model for use in cannabinoid research.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Cannabinoids; Zebrafish; Endocannabinoids; Cannabis; Models, Animal; Receptors, Cannabinoid
PubMed: 37445631
DOI: 10.3390/ijms241310455 -
The FEBS Journal Dec 2021Animal models contribute greatly to our understanding of brain development and function as well as its dysfunction in neurological diseases. Epilepsy research is a very... (Review)
Review
Animal models contribute greatly to our understanding of brain development and function as well as its dysfunction in neurological diseases. Epilepsy research is a very good example of how animal models can provide us with a mechanistic understanding of the genes, molecules, and pathophysiological processes involved in disease. Over the course of the last two decades, zebrafish came in as a new player in epilepsy research, with an expanding number of laboratories using this animal to understand epilepsy and to discover new strategies for preventing seizures. Yet, zebrafish as a model offers a lot more for epilepsy research. In this viewpoint, we aim to highlight some key contributions of zebrafish to epilepsy research, and we want to emphasize the great untapped potential of this animal model for expanding these contributions. We hope that our suggestions will trigger further discussions between clinicians and researchers with a common goal to understand and cure epilepsy.
Topics: Animals; Disease Models, Animal; Epilepsy; Seizures; Zebrafish
PubMed: 33394550
DOI: 10.1111/febs.15694 -
Journal of Orthopaedic Research :... Sep 2022Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are common knee ligament injuries. While generally successful, ACL reconstruction that uses a tendon graft to stabilize the... (Review)
Review
Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are common knee ligament injuries. While generally successful, ACL reconstruction that uses a tendon graft to stabilize the knee is still associated with a notable percentage of failures and long-term morbidities. Preclinical research that uses small laboratory species (i.e., mice, rats, and rabbits) to model ACL reconstruction are important to evaluate factors that can impact graft incorporation or posttraumatic osteoarthritis after ACL reconstruction. Small animal ACL reconstruction models are also used for proof-of-concept studies for the development of emerging biological strategies aimed at improving ACL reconstruction healing. The objective of this review is to provide an overview on the use of common small animal laboratory species to model ACL reconstruction. The review includes a discussion on comparative knee anatomy, technical considerations including types of tendon grafts employed amongst the small laboratory species (i.e., mice, rats, and rabbits), and common laboratory evaluative methods used to study healing and outcomes after ACL reconstruction in small laboratory animals. The review will also highlight common research questions addressed with small animal models of ACL reconstruction.
Topics: Animals; Anterior Cruciate Ligament; Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries; Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction; Knee Injuries; Mice; Models, Animal; Rabbits; Rats
PubMed: 35689508
DOI: 10.1002/jor.25395 -
Journal of Parkinson's Disease 2017The pathological hallmarks of Parkinson's disease are the progressive loss of nigral dopaminergic neurons and the formation of intracellular inclusion bodies, termed... (Review)
Review
The pathological hallmarks of Parkinson's disease are the progressive loss of nigral dopaminergic neurons and the formation of intracellular inclusion bodies, termed Lewy bodies, in surviving neurons. Accumulation of proteins in large insoluble cytoplasmic aggregates has been proposed to result, partly, from a failure in the function of intracellular protein degradation pathways. Evidence in support for such a hypothesis emerged in the beginning of the years 2000 with studies demonstrating structural and functional deficits in the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway in post-mortem nigral tissue of patients with Parkinson's disease. These fundamental findings have inspired the development of a new generation of animal models based on the use of proteasome inhibitors to disturb protein homeostasis and trigger nigral dopaminergic neurodegeneration. In this review, we provide an updated overview of the current approaches in employing proteasome inhibitors to model Parkinson's disease, with particular emphasis on rodent studies. In addition, the mechanisms underlying proteasome inhibition-induced cell death and the validity criteria (construct, face and predictive validity) of the model will be critically discussed. Due to its distinct, but highly relevant mechanism of inducing neuronal death, the proteasome inhibition model represents a useful addition to the repertoire of toxin-based models of Parkinson's disease that might provide novel clues to unravel the complex pathogenesis of this disorder.
Topics: Animals; Disease Models, Animal; Humans; Parkinson Disease; Proteasome Endopeptidase Complex; Proteasome Inhibitors
PubMed: 27802243
DOI: 10.3233/JPD-160921 -
Schizophrenia Bulletin May 2023
Topics: Animals; Pollination; Magnoliopsida; Reproductive Isolation; Psychotic Disorders; Models, Animal
PubMed: 36864639
DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbad025 -
International Journal of Molecular... Nov 2020Salivary secretory disorders are life-disrupting pathologic conditions with a high prevalence, especially in the geriatric population. Both patients and clinicians... (Review)
Review
Salivary secretory disorders are life-disrupting pathologic conditions with a high prevalence, especially in the geriatric population. Both patients and clinicians frequently feel helpless and get frustrated by the currently available therapeutic strategies, which consist mainly of palliative managements. Accordingly, to unravel the underlying mechanisms and to develop effective and curative strategies, several animal models have been developed and introduced. Experimental findings from these models have contributed to answer biological and biomedical questions. This review aims to provide various methodological considerations used for the examination of pathological fundamentals in salivary disorders using animal models and to summarize the obtained findings. The information provided in this review could provide plausible solutions for overcoming salivary disorders and also suggest purpose-specific experimental animal systems.
Topics: Animals; Disease Models, Animal; Humans; Ligation; Radiation Injuries, Experimental; Saliva; Salivary Ducts; Salivary Gland Diseases; Salivary Glands
PubMed: 33182571
DOI: 10.3390/ijms21228423 -
BioMed Research International 2015Hypertension and atherosclerosis are among the most common causes of mortality in both developed and developing countries. Experimental animal models of hypertension and... (Review)
Review
Hypertension and atherosclerosis are among the most common causes of mortality in both developed and developing countries. Experimental animal models of hypertension and atherosclerosis have become a valuable tool for providing information on etiology, pathophysiology, and complications of the disease and on the efficacy and mechanism of action of various drugs and compounds used in treatment. An animal model has been developed to study hypertension and atherosclerosis for several reasons. Compared to human models, an animal model is easily manageable, as compounding effects of dietary and environmental factors can be controlled. Blood vessels and cardiac tissue samples can be taken for detailed experimental and biomolecular examination. Choice of animal model is often determined by the research aim, as well as financial and technical factors. A thorough understanding of the animal models used and complete analysis must be validated so that the data can be extrapolated to humans. In conclusion, animal models for hypertension and atherosclerosis are invaluable in improving our understanding of cardiovascular disease and developing new pharmacological therapies.
Topics: Animals; Atherosclerosis; Disease Models, Animal; Humans; Hypertension
PubMed: 26064920
DOI: 10.1155/2015/528757