Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 6, 2026
A Murine Model of Pressure Overload-Induced Right Ventricular Hypertrophy and Failure by Pulmonary Trunk Banding
Published on: June 14, 2024
A juvenile murine heart failure model of pressure overload
Kristopher M Cumbermack1, Jun Cheng, Yibing Nong
1Department of Pediatrics, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and Sibley Heart Center, Emory School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.
Insights
Researchers created a juvenile mouse model for pressure-overload heart failure (HF). Juvenile mice showed impaired contractility and better survival than adults, offering insights into pediatric heart failure.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Research
- Pediatric Cardiology
- Animal Models
Background:
- Persistent pressure overload leads to cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure (HF).
- Understanding age-specific responses to pressure overload is crucial for pediatric HF.
- Existing models often do not fully represent juvenile physiology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and characterize a juvenile murine model of pressure-overload-induced heart failure (HF).
- To compare the cardiac response to severe thoracic aortic banding (sTAB) in juvenile versus adult mice.
- To provide a model applicable to understanding clinical processes in pediatric HF.
Main Methods:
- Severe thoracic aortic banding (sTAB) was performed on juvenile (3-week-old) and adult (6-week-old) male C57BL/6 mice.
- M-mode echocardiography was used to monitor structural and functional cardiac changes.
- Survival rates and growth rates were compared between juvenile and adult sTAB groups and sham controls.
Main Results:
- Both juvenile and adult mice developed cardiac hypertrophy, dilation, and HF post-sTAB.
- Juvenile HF exhibited greater ventricular contractility impairment but less hypertrophy compared to adults.
- Juvenile mice had significantly higher survival rates and reduced growth rates post-sTAB.
Conclusions:
- The study successfully established a juvenile murine model for pressure-overload HF.
- Juvenile HF presents unique characteristics, including impaired contractility and reduced growth, distinct from adult HF.
- This model aids in understanding age-specific pathological changes in pediatric heart failure development.
Abstract:
Persistent pressure overload can cause cardiac hypertrophy and progressive heart failure (HF). The authors developed a pressure-overload HF model of juvenile mice to study the cardiac response to pressure overload that may be applicable to clinical processes in children. Severe thoracic aortic banding (sTAB) was performed using a 28-gauge needle for 40 juvenile (age, 3 weeks) and 47 adult (age, 6 weeks) C57BL/6 male mice. To monitor the structural and functional changes, M-mode echocardiography was performed for conscious mice that had undergone sTAB and sham operation. Cardiac hypertrophy, dilation, and HF occurred in both juvenile and adult mice after sTAB. Compared with adults, juvenile HF is characterized by greater impairment of ventricular contractility and less hypertrophy. In addition, juvenile mice had significantly higher rates of survival than adult mice during the early postoperative weeks. Consistent with clinical HF seen in children, juvenile banded mice demonstrated a lower growth rate than either adult banded mice or juvenile control mice that had sham operations. The authors first developed a juvenile murine model of pressure-overload HF. Learning the unique characteristics of pressure-overload HF in juveniles should aid in understanding age-specific pathologic changes for HF development in children.
