We successfully developed a reliable and reproducible model of heart failure post-myocardial infarction in the rat without ventilation or exteriorization of the heart. This simplifies the procedure and benefits the further studies about the potential mechanisms behind the heart failure.
Ligation of the left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery has been widely used to establish the rat model of heart failure (HF) post myocardial infarction (MI). However, the disadvantages of this model include high mortality rate after ligation and larger variations both in the infarct size and the degree of impaired cardiac function. In addition, a ventilator or exteriorization of the heart is indispensable for the previous models, which complicates the procedure during the ligation. In this study, we developed a reliable and reproducible model without the ventilator or exteriorization of the heart by ligating the LAD coronary artery. Four weeks after the procedure, we found that the serum concentrations of CK-MB, NT-proBNP, and Renin, which were used to assist diagnoses of MI and HF, were significantly higher in the MI group compared to the sham group. In contrast, the value of left ventricle ejection fraction (LVEF) in the MI group was obviously less than in the sham group. Furthermore, the infarct size and cardiac fibrosis area were individually confirmed and quantitatively analyzed by TTC staining and Masson’s trichrome staining. Smaller variations were found in either infarct size or fibrosis area in the MI group, which helped to develop a reliable and reproducible model of HF post-MI. This new model of HF post-MI in the rat is vital for studying the potential mechanisms of MI and HF. This new method can be used to develop the new drug for treatment of MI and HF in rats by using pharmacological strategies.
Heart failure (HF) is considered a global public health issue that affects over 26 million patients and the prevalence is still increasing1. HF is defined as when the heart does not pump blood as well as it should. There are many risk factors for HF, including ischemic heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, LV hypertrophy, obesity, smoking, etc.2,3,4. Myocardial infarction (MI) is one of the most common causes of HF5. For almost 50 years, HF following MI has been the major driver of late morbidity, mortality, and healthcare cost6. For better understanding of the pathophysiological mechanism of HF and to prevent and treat HF more effectively, large numbers of animal HF models post-MI have been developed for preclinical study. Rats are typically used due to easy maintenance, lower costs, ability for controls, and high homology with humans7,8,9. Left coronary artery (LCA) ligation, especially the left anterior descending (LAD) branch ligation, is widely used to develop the model of HF post-MI in the rat8.
However, surgeries that induce MI in rats are often technically challenging to perform due to high variation, complicated operation, and high mortality10,11. Even though quite a few procedures have been reported, the vast majority of surgeries required either ventilation after tracheal intubation or exteriorization of the heart. Those methods increased the cost of surgery, made the operation more difficult, and reduced the safety of the animal. In addition, the extent of HF is dependent on the site of the ligation of LCA. The anatomic diversity of the LCA in rats leads to inconsistency in infarction sizes and functional parameters in the rat model. Different ligation sites of LCA cause special infarct size, which determines the degree of HF and the survival rate.
In this study, we aimed to create a reliable and reproducible HF post-MI model. Our findings allowed for surgeries of rats without a ventilator or exteriorization of the heart, which resulted in a high survival rate. Also, the relatively fixed site of the ligation of LAD led to less variations of HF 4 weeks post-surgery. Furthermore, we have evaluated the effects of the HF model by using histopathological staining, biochemical detection, and cardiac function measurement, which helped to study the potential mechanisms behind the disease and develop new drugs to treat HF.
Although there have been many existing models of MI or HF in rodents13,14,15, this study has developed a novel and efficient LAD ligation procedure for inducing HF post-MI in rats. However, in this new rat HF model, the needs for intubation and ventilation or exteriorization of the heart were eliminated, which significantly increased the survival rate of the rats. To develop this new rat HF model, the induction of MI is a crucial step. In comparison to the conventional protocols which usually involved intubation and ventilation or exteriorization of the heart during ligation9,16,17, we developed an improved approach with neither ventilation nor exteriorization of the heart for the first time allowing for a higher survival rate. It is worth noting that the improved procedure leads to less tissue damage. Therefore, rats have a much faster post-surgery recovery and higher survival rate. The following two points allowed us to achieve these results: First, the continuous inhalation of oxygen during the whole procedure allowed for sufficient oxygenation and ligation without ventilation. Second, the Weitlaner self-retaining retractor, a key surgical instrument, was used to gain enough exposure to the heart while keeping rib integrity, which helped to avoid the exteriorization of the heart.
It is well known that successful development of HF post-MI in rat largely depends on the infarct size, which is related to the ligation site of the LCA. As early as 1979, Marc A. Pfeefer and his colleagues reported that LCA occlusion in rats could readily provide left ventricular free wall infarctions of varying sizes18. To reduce the variation of infarct sizes and to develop a more stable HF model post-MI, LAD ligation has been commonly used in rats to induce left ventricular infarction for research purposes19. The major advantage of LAD occlusion is to allow for accurate ligation of this artery to induce a stable MI that can cause HF while keeping a much higher survival rate. In our procedure, we chose the ligation position 2.0-2.5 mm below the midpoint of the connection between the conus arteriosus and left atrial appendage, which proved to be successful and stable with less variations in LVEF among all the rats in the MI group. In addition, we individually determined the infarct size by TTC staining and the degree of fibrosis by Masson's staining, both of which have been widely used to evaluate this kind of model20,21,22. Meanwhile, the less variations of this model were also illustrated through morphological alterations and histopathology analyses.
We also studied some parameters related to MI and HF after 4 weeks of the LAD ligation to help confirm the development of HF after MI. Echocardiography has the ability to accurately and noninvasively measure ventricular function and assess causes of structural heart disease23. The LVEFs of the mice in the MI group were all under 50% which could be considered as HF12. In line with these results, the concentration of NT-proBNP was increased accordingly which was also an important indicator of impairment of heart function. Ample evidence exists for inflammation and apoptosis in the ischemic heart24, 25. Inflammation and heart failure are strongly interconnected and mutually reinforce each other26. In our study, we evaluated the significant increase in inflammation factors, IL-6 and TNF-a. The renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) activated by renal hypoperfusion and sympathetic activation is a central feature in the pathophysiology of heart failure27. We evaluated the parameters involved in the RAAS and we found that the serum level of renin was significantly higher in the MI group compared to the sham group, which further verified the development of HF.
There are two main points of emphasis during the procedure of LAD ligation. First, during the whole procedure and until they recover from anesthesia, provide a continuous supply of oxygen to the animals while also keeping them warm. Secondly, the position of ligation on the LAD has a key role in the infarct size and the degree of HF. The site 2.0-2.5 mm below the midpoint of the connection between the conus arteriosus and left atrial appendage is appropriate for a stable and successful HF model with less mortality rate. However, the limitation of the new HF model in rats is that the surgical procedure for developing MI without ventilation is technically demanding and challenging. The key step for achieving this model is to gain enough exposure of the heart to fully visualize the heart inside the thorax and limit the time the chest is open to 5 minutes, which requires more practice before the formal experiment.
The authors have nothing to disclose.
This model was developed with the support of Shandong Co-Innovation Center of Classic TCM Formula, Shandong Provincial Education Department. We would like to thank Dr. Lianfeng Wu for performing the echocardiography in this study.
2% TTC solution | Solarbio | T8170-1 | |
ELISA kits | Shanghai BlueGene Biotech CO., LTD | ||
Forceps | shinva | ||
H&E Staining Kit | abcam | ab245880 | |
Isoflurane | RWD | 100 mL | |
Kotoprofen | Zoetis | KETOFEN | |
nylon suture 6-0 | AD surgical | #S-N618R13 | with needle |
Scalpel blades | shinva | s2646 | |
Scalpel Handles | shinva | ||
Trichrome Stain (Masson) Kit | Sigma-Aldrich | HT15-1KT | |
Ultrasound | Mindray | TE7 | |
Veterinary Vaporizer | Matrix | vip-3000 | |
Weitlaner Self-Retaining Retractor | shinva | ZV077RN |
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