Rodent models of heart failure: an updated review

Abstract

Heart failure (HF) is one of the major health and economic burdens worldwide, and its prevalence is continuously increasing. The study of HF requires reliable animal models to study the chronic changes and pharmacologic interventions in myocardial structure and function and to follow its progression toward HF. Indeed, during the past 40 years, basic and translational scientists have used small animal models to understand the pathophysiology of HF and find more efficient ways of preventing and managing patients suffering from congestive HF (CHF). Each species and each animal model has advantages and disadvantages, and the choice of one model over another should take them into account for a good experimental design. The aim of this review is to describe and highlight the advantages and drawbacks of some commonly used HF rodents models, including both non-genetically and genetically engineered models, with a specific subchapter concerning diastolic HF models.

Delayed neutrophil apoptosis mediates intermittent hypoxia-induced progressive heart failure in pressure-overloaded rats

“…Abdominal aortic constriction (banding) surgeries were performed on 4-week-old male Wistar rats weighing 120~150 g. This is a well-established surgical technique for induction of LV chronic pressure overload, hypertrophy, and HF in rodents [10]. The banding initially imposes little or no restriction to aortic flow, but gradually, as the animal grows, the relative severity of the constriction increases, resulting in cardiac hypertrophy.…”

Carotid-Jugular Fistula Model to Study Systemic Effects and Fistula-Related Microcirculatory Changes

“…Studies have shown that the mean arterial blood pressure is significantly decreased immediately after the construction of an AVF [3, 9, 28, 29], and after 4 weeks, significant cardiac hypertrophy develops, with near-normal function at 4 weeks [9, 29]. In the current study, only SBP was measured at baseline and at the 1-week follow-up, because noninvasive pressure measurement systems are more sensitive when measuring SBP.…”

“…Rodent models are appropriate fistula models, because of the demanding technical and financial requirements for using large animals as well as due to the difficulty of establishing mixed-disease models in these animals [5, 9, 10]. Many models were described in rats, such as the aortocaval model, the tail model, and the femoral model.…”

“…Many models were described in rats, such as the aortocaval model, the tail model, and the femoral model. The advantages and disadvantages of each model should be taken into consideration when designing a study [9, 11]. …”

Myocardial transcription factors in diastolic dysfunction: clues for model systems and disease

“…These limitations with human cardiac tissue are overcome, with varying degrees of success, by the use of patient-mimicking animal models [8,9] in which HFpEF is developed as a consequence of spontaneous and experimentally induced hypertension or metabolic syndromes (obesity and diabetes). The results of these and other cross-sectional studies showed that LV diastolic dysfunction conditions can be associated with: (1) fluctuation in cardiac calcium-handling protein levels [10], (2) alterations in proteins, which play an important role in maintaining the sarcomeric structure and functionality [11][12][13], and (3) aberrant extracellular matrix protein turnover [14][15][16][17].…”