Korean J Med.
2008 Jan;74(1):4-15.
Animal models of heart failure and new molecular strategy for the treatment of heart failure
- Affiliations
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- 1Department of Internal Medicine, Chungbuk National University College of Medicine, Cheongju, Korea.
Abstract
- Heart failure (HF) is a complex condition in which multiple molecular mechanisms interact, resulting in compromised cardiac function and often death. Despite the benefits of current therapies including ACE inhibitors and beta-adrenergic blockers, the pathophysiology is still poorly understood and the prognosis remains poor. With the advent of the genetic era, a large number of animal models of cardiac hypertrophy and HF have been created by genetic engineering. These models, combined with sophisticated physiological measurements of cardiac hemodynamics, are expected to yield more and valuable information regarding the molecular mechanisms of HF and aid in the discovery of novel molecular therapeutic targets. This review has summarized various animal models of HF currently available to study mechanisms and to identify new treatment strategy of HF.
