Premium
Cardiocirculatory dynamics during heart failure in the rat: Effects of prototypic drugs
Author(s) -
Flaim Stephen F.
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
drug development research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.582
H-Index - 60
eISSN - 1098-2299
pISSN - 0272-4391
DOI - 10.1002/ddr.430180407
Subject(s) - heart failure , medicine , vasodilation , hemodynamics , peripheral resistance , cardiology , disease , cardiac output , peripheral , heart disease , pharmacology
The goal of these studies was to evaluate the effects of congestive heart failure on the peripheral circulations, looking specifically for the regions responsible for the rise in peripheral resistance observed in patients with this disease condition. During the course of these experiments, we evaluated the effects of different modes of exercise on cardiocirculatory dynamics and cardiac output distribution in normal animals in order to determine the most appropriate mode to induce an adequate exercise stess. Based on these studies, we chose treadmill exercise for use in animal models of heart failure. The animal species chosen for these studies was the rat. This choice was based on the availability of novel techniques which allowed for repetitive and accurate hemodynamic and regional blood flow determinations in rodents which provided a cost‐effective approach to the study of heart disease. Once appropriate models for congestive failure and for exercise were adequately characterized and studied, additional experiments designed to evaluate the acute effects of appropriate therapeutic agents such as calcium blockers, nitro‐vasodilators, and angiotensinconverting enzyme inhibitors were conducted. In order to determine the scope of the therapeutic efficacy of some of these compounds, studies were also conducted on models of hypertensive disease.