Genetically diverse UM-HET3 mice offer advantages over standard inbred C57BL/6 mice in vascular studies.

This article focuses on comparing vascular function between the commonly used inbred mouse strain C57BL/6 and the genetically diverse outbred strain UM-HET3, which combines genetic backgrounds from four strains (C57BL/6J, BALB/cByJ, C3H/HeJ, and DBA/2J). Recent studies indicate that UM-HET3 mice exhibit vascular responses, including blood pressure elevation and endothelial dysfunction in response to Western and high-salt diets, that more closely resemble human vascular pathology than C57BL/6 mice. Additionally, UM-HET3 mice show greater macrovascular and microvascular endothelial function, lower aortic stiffness, and distinct vascular phenotypes compared to C57BL/6 substrains (6J and 6N), which themselves differ in vascular parameters. These findings challenge the assumption that inbred strains reduce phenotypic variability and suggest UM-HET3 as a potentially superior model for vascular research due to its translational relevance and comparable variability. [Extracted from the article]