Receiving either a 60 kcal % fat Western diet or standard 10 kcal % fat normal chow, Ang II-treated apoE?/? mice (n = 34) underwent sequential aortic duplex ultrasound scan imaging (Vevo 2100 System; VisualSonics, Toronto, Ontario, Canada) of their entire aorta. Circumferential strains were calculated using speckle-tracking algorithms and a custom MatLab analysis.
Decreased strains in all aortic locations after just 3 days of Ang II treatment were observed, and this effect progressed during the 4-week observation period. Anatomic segments along the aorta impacted wall strain (baseline highest in ascending aorta; P < .05), whereas diet did not. At 2 and 4 weeks, there was the largest progressive decrease in strain in the paravisceral/supraceliac aorta (P < .05), which was the segment most likely to be involved in aneurysm formation in this model.
In the Ang II/apoE?/? aneurysm model, the aorta significantly stiffens (with decreased strain) shortly after Ang II infusion, and this progressively continues through the next 4 weeks. High-fat feeding did not have an impact on wall strain. Delineation of biomechanical factors and AAA morphology via duplex scan and speckle-tracking algorithms in mouse models should accelerate insights into human AAAs.