Ferric chloride-induced arterial thrombosis in mice.

Because of its high sensitivity and reproducibility, the FeCl3 -induced arterial thrombosis mouse model is widely used to study molecular mechanisms as well as the efficacy of antithrombotic agents. The model also carries the additional advantages of being relatively easy to establish and requiring minimal instrumentation. However, the various parameters that influence the outcome must be optimized to the experimental requirements and the individual laboratory conditions. Here, we describe a standard protocol for FeCl3 -induced common carotid artery thrombosis, parameters that influence thrombus growth, ways to optimize the experiment, and interpretation of the data.