Miranda-Silva Daniela, Sequeira Vasco, Lourenço André P, Falcão-Pires Inês
UnIC@RISE, Department of Surgery and Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.
Department of Translational Science, DZHI, Universitätsklinikum Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.
Front Physiol. 2022 Jun 23;12:751326. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2021.751326. eCollection 2021.
Heart failure (HF) triggered by cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular diseases is a leading cause of death worldwide and translational research is urgently needed to better understand the mechanisms of the failing heart. For this purpose, rodent models of heart disease combined with cardiac functional assessment have provided valuable insights into the physiological significance of a given genetic or pharmacological modification. In small animals, cardiac function and structure can be evaluated by methods such as echocardiography, telemetry or hemodynamics using conductance catheters. Indeed, hemodynamic analysis of pressure-volume loops (PV-loops) has become the gold standard methodology to study cardiac function in detail. This method provides simultaneous measurement of both pressure and volume signals from rodents intact beating hearts. On the one hand, PV-loop analysis has deeply expanded the knowledge on molecular cardiac physiology by allowing establishing important functional correlations. On the other hand, these measurements allow dissecting the cardiovascular functional impact of certain therapeutic interventions or specific signaling pathways using transgenic models of disease. However, a detailed assessment of cardiac function and structure still warrants proper standardization and optimization to boost the progress of HF research. With increasing concerns over data accuracy and reproducibility, guidelines and best practices for cardiac physiology measurements in experimental settings are needed. This article aims to review the best practices for carrying out cardiac hemodynamic assessment using PV-loops in rodents intact beating hearts, also providing an overview of its advantages, disadvantages and applications in cardiovascular research.
由心血管疾病和非心血管疾病引发的心力衰竭（HF）是全球主要的死亡原因之一，因此迫切需要开展转化研究以更好地了解衰竭心脏的机制。为此，结合心脏功能评估的啮齿动物心脏病模型为特定基因或药物修饰的生理意义提供了有价值的见解。在小动物中，可以通过超声心动图、遥测或使用电导导管进行血流动力学等方法来评估心脏功能和结构。事实上，压力-容积环（PV环）的血流动力学分析已成为详细研究心脏功能的金标准方法。该方法可同时测量来自完整跳动的啮齿动物心脏的压力和容积信号。一方面，PV环分析通过建立重要的功能相关性，极大地扩展了对分子心脏生理学的认识。另一方面，这些测量能够利用疾病转基因模型剖析某些治疗干预措施或特定信号通路对心血管功能的影响。然而，对心脏功能和结构进行详细评估仍需适当的标准化和优化，以推动心力衰竭研究的进展。随着对数据准确性和可重复性的关注度不断提高，在实验环境中进行心脏生理学测量的指南和最佳实践是必要的。本文旨在综述在完整跳动的啮齿动物心脏中使用PV环进行心脏血流动力学评估的最佳实践，同时概述其在心血管研究中的优点、缺点及应用。
