Collateral Vessel Formation Causes Clinical Recovery from Limb Ischemia in a Mouse Model

Experimental models of recovery from limb ischemia are required for evaluating novel means of treating ischemia. We describe a mouse model to assess gait after inducing limb ischemia. Gait analysis was performed using a Plexiglass tube, the floor of which contained load cells. Gait was measured in 20 mice; 10 underwent ligation of the right hind limb artery and the other 10 underwent a sham operation. The gait of the animals was measured at 1, 2, and 4 weeks following the procedure. In sham-operated animals, the gait showed no measurable change. In the ligated animals, the ratio of the right fore-to-hind limb changed from 1.07 at baseline to 1.4 at day 0 (P =.001), 1.16 (P =.012 compared with control), and 1.04 (P =.37 compared with control) at weeks 2 and 4, respectively. Gait returned to normal within 4 weeks of induction of ischemia. This model may be helpful in testing potential novel therapies.