Abstract:

Diabetes-associated macrovascular complications constitute a principal source of disability and mortality among individuals with diabetes. The defining pathological hallmark of these complications is the accelerated development of atherosclerosis accompanied by heightened plaque instability, arising in the context of chronic metabolic dysregulation. Animal models are therefore indispensable for elucidating the underlying mechanisms of diabetic macrovascular disease and for rigorously assessing preventive and therapeutic interventions. This review concentrates on the major manifestations of diabetic macrovascular pathology, including coronary artery disease, cerebrovascular disease, and peripheral arterial disease. It provides a systematic synthesis of the construction strategies, pathological features, and current research applications of widely used animal models, encompassing diet-induced, chemically induced, genetically modified, and combined-intervention approaches. In addition, the review offers a comparative evaluation of these models with respect to their capacity to recapitulate disease phenotypes and their suitability for addressing specific research questions, while also critically examining their methodological limitations. Collectively, this work aims to inform the rational selection and refinement of animal models for the study of diabetic macrovascular complications.

Key words: diabetes-associated macrovascular complications, atherosclerosis, animal model