Studying Left Ventricular Reverse Remodeling by Aortic Debanding in Rodents

Autores da FMUP

• Joaquim Adelino Correia Ferreira Leite Moreira

  Autor

• Inês Maria Falcão Sousa Pires Marques

  Autor

Participantes de fora da FMUP

• Goncalves Rodrigues, P
• Miranda-Silva, D

Unidades de investigação

• Cirurgia e Fisiologia

• Laboratório Associado RISE- Rede de Investigação em Saúde

  

  Investigador

  Fernando Carlos De Landér Schmitt

• RISE-Health

  

  Investigador

  Fernando Carlos De Landér Schmitt

Abstract

To better understand the left ventricular (LV) reverse remodeling (RR), we describe a rodent model wherein, after aortic banding-induced LV remodeling, mice undergo RR upon removal of the aortic constriction. In this paper, we describe a step-by-step procedure to perform a minimally invasive surgical aortic debanding in mice. Echocardiography was subsequently used to assess the degree of cardiac hypertrophy and dysfunction during LV remodeling and RR and to determine the best timing for aortic debanding. At the end of the protocol, terminal hemodynamic evaluation of the cardiac function was conducted, and samples were collected for histological studies. We showed that debanding is associated with surgical survival rates of 70-80%. Moreover, two weeks after debanding, the significant reduction of ventricular afterload triggers the regression of ventricular hypertrophy (similar to 20%) and fibrosis (similar to 26%), recovery of diastolic dysfunction as assessed by the normalization of left ventricular filling and end-diastolic pressures (E/e' and LVEDP). Aortic debanding is a useful experimental model to study LV RR in rodents. The extent of myocardial recovery is variable between subjects, therefore, mimicking the diversity of RR that occurs in the clinical context, such as aortic valve replacement. We conclude that the aortic banding/debanding model represents a valuable tool to unravel novel insights into the mechanisms of RR, namely the regression of cardiac hypertrophy and the recovery of diastolic dysfunction.

Keywords

• Animals; Diastole; Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular; Mice; Myocardium; Rodentia; Ventricular Function, Left; Ventricular Remodeling; animal; cardiac muscle; diastole; heart left ventricle function; heart left ventricle hypertrophy; heart ventricle remodeling; mouse; rodent