Objective   To establish uremic atherosclerosis models in apoE

-/-

mice and evaluate its feasibility.    Methods   Totally 70 6-week-old male apoE

-/-

mice were randomized into 2 groups

uremic group (n=35) and nonuremic control group (n=35). All mice were fed with a Western diet. Uremic group mice underwent partial kidney ablation with electrocoagulation of right renal cortex followed by left total nephrectomy in 2 weeks later and control animals underwent sham operation. Serum levels of urea

total cholesterol and triglycerides were assessed at 0

2

4

6 and 8 weeks after the first surgery. The cross-section

surface area of the lesion and the lesion area fraction were assessed.    Results   At 6 weeks after nephrectomy

the level of serum urea in chronic renal failure (CRF) mice was 188.3% higher than that of control mice

and total cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations were increased by 40.8% and 29.8% than those of nonuremic controls

respectively (P0.01). Aortic plaque area of CRF groups was increased 1.3-fold compared with nonuremic controls (P0.05). Moreover

the lesion area fraction of uremic apoE

-/-

mice was markedly increased when compared with controls (P0.01).    Conclusion   These findings demonstrate that CRF aggravates atherosclerosis and the uremic atherosclerosis models can be established with partial kidney ablation on apoE

-/-

mice. We anticipate that this experimental model will be useful to test treatment strategies aimed at decreasing the disease.