Summary
Rats are employed to investigate the role of platelets in thrombus formation under
flow conditions in vivo and to evaluate the pre-clinical potential of antiplatelet drugs. While Wistar and
Sprague-Dawley (SD) strains are commonly used in thrombosis models, a number of rat
strains have been established. Each strain possesses genetically unique characteristics
such as hypertension, hyperglycemia or hyperlipidemia. The appropriate selection of
a strain might have advantages for physiological and pharmacological studies. Comparative
investigation of platelet aggregation among laboratory strains of rats is useful for
the development of thrombosis models. In the present study, platelet aggregation response
in eight laboratory rat strains, ACI, Brown Norway (BN), Donryu, Fischer 344 (F344),
LEW, SD, Wistar and WKAH, were compared. Considerable strain differences were observed
in ADP-, collagen- and TRAP-induced platelet aggregation. SD and BN are high-platelet-aggregation
strains, while F344 and ACI are low-response strains. In the arteriovenous shunt thrombosis
model, SD formed larger thrombi than F344 andWistar rats. In the FeCl 3 -induced thrombosis
model with the carotid artery, the time to occlusion of SD was significantly shorter
than of F344 and ACI rats. F344 and ACI rats had significantly increased bleeding
times compared with SD rat. The present study demonstrates that there are considerable
strain differences in platelet aggregation among laboratory rats, which reflect thrombus
formation.
Keywords
Platelet aggregation - rat - strain difference - thrombus formation