Role of Fibulin-V (FibV) in disturbed flow induced arterial stiffening and atherosclerosis

The mechanisms of arterial stiffness (independent cardiovascular risk factor) are not well understood. Here, we investigated the role of Fibulin V in arterial stiffness and remodeling in response to disturbed blood flow. In vivo animal model of d-flow was used to investigate how knockdown of Fibulin V (FibV KO) influences arterial stiffness/remodeling and atherosclerosis. Briefly, Partial Carotid ligation was performed on the left common carotid artery of the mouse while the right common carotid artery was left untouched. Induction of disturbed blood flow was confirmed by ultrasound. One-day post ligation, the carotid arteries were explanted and the RNA extraction was performed to investigate the global changes in gene expression using illumina microarray.