title: Animal models of organic heart valve disease.
abstract: Heart valve disease is a frequently encountered pathology, related to high morbidity and mortality rates in industrialized and developing countries. Animal models are interesting to investigate the causality, but also underlying mechanisms and potential treatments of human valvular diseases. Recently, animal models of heart valve disease have been developed, which allow to investigate the pathophysiology, and to follow the progression and the potential regression of disease with therapeutics over time. The present review provides an overview of animal models of primary, organic heart valve disease: myxoid age-related, infectious, drug-induced, degenerative calcified, and mechanically induced valvular heart disease.
authors.affiliation: Centrum Voor Hart- en Vaatziekten (CHVZ), Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Brussels, Belgium. broosens@vub.ac.be
authors.forename: Bram
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Roosens
authors.forename: Gezim
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bala
authors.forename: Steven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Droogmans
authors.forename: Guy
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Van Camp
authors.forename: Joke
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Breyne
authors.forename: Bernard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cosyns
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D018450:Disease Progression; D006349:Heart Valve Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans