Systematic review of the role of anti-inflammatory treatments in animal models of venous thromboembolism
4 affiliations
- 1Section of Vascular Surgery, Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, London, UK
- 2Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- 3Royal Free Hospital, Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
- 4Academic Department of Vascular Surgery, St Thomas's Hospital, Kings College London, London, UK
Abstract
Objective: The study aimed to systematically appraise the impact of anti-inflammatory pharmacological treatments on thrombosis, inflammation, and fibrosis parameters in animal models of venous thromboembolism (VTE).
Methods: A systematic review was conducted according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines with a registered protocol (PROSPERO: CRD42023456793). Free-word and medical subject heading terms were used to search the Medline, Embase, and Cochrane databases for eligible articles. All studies and conference abstracts reporting the use of an anti-inflammatory agent in an animal model of VTE were included. The primary efficacy outcome was the impact of anti-inflammatory drugs on post-thrombotic venous fibrosis and thrombus burden. The secondary outcome was the impact of anti-inflammatory drugs on measures of inflammation. Quality scoring and risk of bias assessment were conducted using the SYRCLE tool.
Results: A total of 42 studies were included in the final review, but fibrosis as an outcome measure was generally poorly reported (seven studies). Although meta-analysis was planned, heterogeneity in species, study design, and intervention precluded it. Overall, selectin inhibitors demonstrated the greatest sustained impact on post-thrombotic fibrosis (three studies), followed by statins (two studies) and the antimitotic agent colchicine (one conference abstract). Both selectin inhibitors and statins have consistently yielded positive results, reducing vein scarring, alleviating thrombus burden, and inhibiting inflammation. The quality of evidence was generally poor.
Conclusions: Inflammation involves various evolutionarily conserved mechanisms that cause tissue damage and fibrosis, but fibrosis is generally poorly studied in preclinical models of VTE. Future studies should systematically evaluate the efficacy of anti-inflammatory agents initiated after thrombosis to better mimic clinical scenarios.
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BibTeX
@article{jubouri2026systematic,
title = {{Systematic review of the role of anti-inflammatory treatments in animal models of venous thromboembolism}},
author = {Matti Jubouri and Thomas Brankin-Frisby and Alexander S. Grover and Benedict RH. Turner and Alun H. Davies and Alberto Smith},
journal = {JVS-Vascular Science},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1016/j.jvssci.2026.100450},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvssci.2026.100450},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Systematic review of the role of anti-inflammatory treatments in animal models of venous thromboembolism
AU - Matti Jubouri
AU - Thomas Brankin-Frisby
AU - Alexander S. Grover
AU - Benedict RH. Turner
AU - Alun H. Davies
AU - Alberto Smith
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/21
JO - JVS-Vascular Science
DO - 10.1016/j.jvssci.2026.100450
UR - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvssci.2026.100450
AB - Objective: The study aimed to systematically appraise the impact of anti-inflammatory pharmacological treatments on thrombosis, inflammation, and fibrosis parameters in animal models of venous thromboembolism (VTE). Methods: A systematic review was conducted according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines with a registered protocol (PROSPERO: CRD42023456793). Free-word and medical subject heading terms were used to search the Medline, Embase, and Cochrane databases for eligible articles. All studies and conference abstracts reporting the use of an anti-inflammatory agent in an animal model of VTE were included. The primary efficacy outcome was the impact of anti-inflammatory drugs on post-thrombotic venous fibrosis and thrombus burden. The secondary outcome was the impact of anti-inflammatory drugs on measures of inflammation. Quality scoring and risk of bias assessment were conducted using the SYRCLE tool. Results: A total of 42 studies were included in the final review, but fibrosis as an outcome measure was generally poorly reported (seven studies). Although meta-analysis was planned, heterogeneity in species, study design, and intervention precluded it. Overall, selectin inhibitors demonstrated the greatest sustained impact on post-thrombotic fibrosis (three studies), followed by statins (two studies) and the antimitotic agent colchicine (one conference abstract). Both selectin inhibitors and statins have consistently yielded positive results, reducing vein scarring, alleviating thrombus burden, and inhibiting inflammation. The quality of evidence was generally poor. Conclusions: Inflammation involves various evolutionarily conserved mechanisms that cause tissue damage and fibrosis, but fibrosis is generally poorly studied in preclinical models of VTE. Future studies should systematically evaluate the efficacy of anti-inflammatory agents initiated after thrombosis to better mimic clinical scenarios.
SN - 2666-3503
ER -