Abstract:

BACKGROUND: Many diseases in human are determined by genes. Constructing corresponding gene knockout animal models is of significance for treatment of diseases and studying the underlying pathological mechanisms.
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the application and research progress of knockout mouse models in studying cardiovascular, neurological, bone, liver, retinal diseases.
METHODS: A computer-based retrieval was performed to search manuscripts regarding knockout mouse models in CNKI and PubMed published between January 1990 and December 2009 with the key words “knockout mouse, atherosclerosis, nervous system, osteoporosis, liver, retina” in Chinese and English language. Manuscripts evaluating knockout mouse models with original and reliable evidence were included and those with repetitive contents or Meta analysis papers were excluded.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Total 75 manuscripts were retrieved, and according to inclusion and exclusion criteria, 38 manuscripts were included in the final analysis. Results showed that knockout mouse models are widely used for study diseases in human. At present, several hundred of mouse models have been established for studying diseases in human, including cardiovascular disease, neurodegenerative diseases, diabetes mellitus, and caner. Studying knockout mouse models can acquire the therapeutic target of related diseases, which provide possibilities for precisely studying the direct relationship between gene and diseases.