title: A comprehensive review: the evolution of animal models in pulmonary hypertension research; are we there yet?
abstract: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a disorder that develops as a result of remodeling of the pulmonary vasculature and is characterized by narrowing/obliteration of small pulmonary arteries, leading to increased mean pulmonary artery pressure and pulmonary vascular resistance. Subsequently, PH increases the right ventricular afterload, which leads to right ventricular hypertrophy and eventually right ventricular failure. The pathophysiology of PH is not fully elucidated, and current treatments have only a modest impact on patient survival and quality of life. Thus, there is an urgent need for improved treatments or a cure. The use of animal models has contributed extensively to the current understanding of PH pathophysiology and the investigation of experimental treatments. However, PH in current animal models may not fully represent current clinical observations. For example, PH in animal models appears to be curable with many therapeutic interventions, and the severity of PH in animal models is also believed to correlate poorly with that observed in humans. In this review, we discuss a variety of animal models in PH research, some of their contributions to the field, their shortcomings, and how these have been addressed. We highlight the fact that the constant development and evolution of animal models will help us to more closely model the severity and heterogeneity of PH observed in humans.
authors.affiliation: Hatter Institute for Cardiovascular Research in Africa (HICRA), Department of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
authors.forename: Gerald
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Maarman
authors.affiliation: Hatter Institute for Cardiovascular Research in Africa (HICRA), Department of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
authors.forename: Sandrine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lecour
authors.affiliation: Pulmonary Vascular Research Institute, Kent Enterprise Hub, University of Kent, Canterbury, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Ghazwan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Butrous
authors.affiliation: Institute of Infectious Diseases and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
authors.forename: Friedrich
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Thienemann
authors.affiliation: Hatter Institute for Cardiovascular Research in Africa (HICRA), Department of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sliwa
keywords: chronic hypoxia; monocrotaline; pulmonary arterial banding; right ventricular failure