[Animal models of cardiomyopathy]

Animal models of cardiomyopathy have been used in many studies for our understanding of the pathophysiology of this disease. Syrian hamster, BIO 14.6, one of the most widely used models of cardiomyopathy, was reported to be caused by large deletion in the exon 1 and the promoter region of the delta-sarcoglycan gene. Cardiac hypertrophy or heart failure has been induced in dogs, rabbits, rats and many other animals by various manipulations such as drugs, pressure and/or volume overload and chronic rapid pacing. Recently, transgenic or knockout mice were examined to investigate the pathogenesis and development of the disease. It is important to select appropriate models for the aim of the studies.