title: Animal models of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.
abstract: Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) constitutes a clinical syndrome in which the diagnostic criteria of heart failure are not accompanied by gross disturbances of systolic function, as assessed by ejection fraction. In turn, under most circumstances, diastolic function is impaired. Although it now represents over 50 % of all patients with heart failure, the mechanisms of HFpEF remain understood, precluding effective therapy. Understanding the pathophysiology of HFpEF has been restricted by both limited access to human myocardial biopsies and by the lack of animal models that fully mimic human pathology. Animal models are valuable research tools to clarify subcellular and molecular mechanisms under conditions where the comorbidities and other confounding factors can be precisely controlled. Although most of the heart failure animal models currently available represent heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, several HFpEF animal models have been proposed. However, few of these fulfil all the features present in human disease. In this review we will provide an overview of the currently available models to study HFpEF from rodents to large animals as well as present advantages and disadvantages of these models.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Cardiothoracic Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Conceição
authors.affiliation: Division of Experimental Cardiology, Department of Cardiology, Thoraxcenter, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.|Turku PET Centre, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Heinonen
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Cardiothoracic Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.|Department of Anesthesiology, Centro Hospitalar de São João, Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: A P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Lourenço
authors.affiliation: Division of Experimental Cardiology, Department of Cardiology, Thoraxcenter, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Duncker
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Cardiothoracic Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal. ipires@med.up.pt.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Falcão-Pires
keywords: Animal models, Rodents; Diastolic dysfunction; Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction