A new murine model of coronary artery thrombosis and role of interleukin-8 in the development of coronary thrombosis.

Occlusive vascular disease most often results from thrombosis superimposed on atherosclerotic plaque. In the case of an acute coronary syndrome including an acute myocardium infarction or an unstable angina pectoris thrombus in coronary artery takes significant part as known. There are few reports about animal models of acute coronary artery thrombi, because of the difficulties of operative significance. We have succeeded in making thrombus at murine coronary arteries with ferric chloride. Slight or moderate IL-8 expressions were found in the endothelial cells in the thrombus formed vessel analyzed by immunohistochemistry. The interleukin-8 (IL-8) receptor knockout mice formed the slight thrombus in coronary arteries treated with ferric chloride. We propose a role for IL-8 in the pathogenesis of acute coronary artery thrombi. This hypothesis lends itself to testing using interventions to influence IL-8 secretion and actions in the early phase of coronary thrombotic formation.