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Chronic kidney disease-associated cardiovascular disease: scope and limitations of animal models
Omid Sadeghi-Alavijeh1, Mohammad Tadayyon2, Ben Caplin1
1UCL Centre for Nephrology, UCL Medical School, Royal Free Hospital.
Insights
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) significantly increases cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. Animal models are crucial for understanding CKD-associated CVD pathophysiology and developing human treatments.
Area of Science:
- Nephrology
- Cardiology
- Translational Medicine
Background:
- Chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects 11% of the global population.
- CKD patients have a high risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), often preceding end-stage renal disease.
- The etiology of CKD-associated CVD and its unique cardiovascular phenotype remain unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the pathophysiology of CKD-associated CVD.
- To review methods for inducing renal impairment in animal models.
- To discuss techniques for assessing cardiovascular phenotype in animal models relevant to human applicability.
Main Methods:
- Review of established methods for inducing renal impairment in rodent models.
- Analysis of various techniques for evaluating cardiovascular parameters in preclinical studies.
- Discussion on the translational relevance of animal model findings to human CKD-CVD.
Main Results:
- Rodent models provide essential insights into whole-organism disease processes.
- Specific methods exist for both inducing kidney disease and assessing cardiovascular outcomes in animals.
- These models are vital for advancing the understanding of CKD-associated CVD.
Conclusions:
- Animal models are indispensable for studying the complex pathophysiology of CKD-associated CVD.
- Understanding these models aids in developing targeted therapies for high-risk CKD patients.
- Further research using these models is critical for improving cardiovascular outcomes in CKD.
Abstract:
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a heterogeneous range of disorders affecting up to 11% of the world's population. The majority of patients with CKD die of cardiovascular disease (CVD) before progressing to end-stage renal disease. CKD patients have an increased risk of atherosclerotic disease as well as a unique cardiovascular phenotype. There remains no clear aetiology for these issues and a better understanding of the pathophysiology of CKD-associated CVD is urgently needed. Although nonanimal studies can provide insights into the nature of disease, the whole-organism nature of CKD-associated CVD means that high-quality animal models, at least for the immediate future, are likely to remain a key tool in improving our understanding in this area. We will discuss the methods used to induce renal impairment in rodents and the methods available to assess cardiovascular phenotype and in each case describe the applicability to humans.
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