Characterization of a murine model of cardiorenal syndrome type 1 by high-resolution Doppler sonography.
Cardiorenal syndrome type 1 (CRS-1) is the acute kidney disfunction caused by an acute worsening of cardiac function. CRS-1 is the consequence of renal vasoconstriction secondary to renin-angiotensin system (RAS) activation. No animal models of CRS-1 are described in literature.


OBJECTIVE
To characterize a murine model of CRS-1 by using a high-resolution ultrasound echo-color Doppler system (VEVO2100).


METHODS
Post-ischemic heart failure was induced by coronary artery ligation (LAD) in seven CD1 mice. Fifteen and thirty days after surgery, mice underwent cardiac and renal echo-color Doppler. Serum creatinine and plasma renin activity were measured after killing. Animals were compared to seven CD1 control mice.


RESULTS
Heart failure with left ventricle dilatation (end diastolic area, p < 0.05 vs. controls) and significantly reduced ejection fraction (EF; p < 0.01 vs. controls) was evident 15 days after LAD. We measured a significant renal vasoconstriction in infarcted mice characterized by increased renal pulsatility index (PI; p < 0.05 vs. controls) associated to increased creatinine and renin levels (p < 0.05 vs. controls).


CONCLUSIONS
The mice model of LAD is a good model of CRS-1 evaluable by Doppler sonography and characterized by renal vasoconstriction due to the activation of the renin-angiotensin system secondary to heart failure.
Department of Medicine (DIMED), University of Padova, Padua, Italy.
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Pesce
Department of Medicine (DIMED), University of Padova, Padua, Italy.
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Cecchetto
Department of Medicine (DIMED), University of Padova, Padua, Italy.
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Brocco
Department of Medicine (DIMED), University of Padova, Padua, Italy.
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Bolognesi
Department of Medicine, Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, Marshall University, Huntington, WV 25755 USA.
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Sodhi
Department of Medicine, Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, Marshall University, Huntington, WV 25755 USA.
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Abraham
Department of Medicine (DIMED), University of Padova, Padua, Italy.
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Sacerdoti
Cardiorenal syndrome; EcoDoppler; Pulsatility index