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Using a cardiac anchor to refine myocardial infarction surgery in the rat

Lab Animal volume 39, pages 313–317 (2010)Cite this article

Abstract

Researchers have used the rat model of myocardial infarction for more than 20 y to successfully mimic the detrimental effects of coronary occlusion of the left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery in humans. But researchers have published little about this surgery's intricacies or about the pathological progression of the disease after surgery. The authors describe a refined technique that uses a suture anchor at the apex of the heart, which allows easy and accurate placement of a ligature around the LAD. Furthermore, they detail the pathological timeline for the deposition of collagen in the injured left ventricle, a hallmark of myocardial infarction. Researchers can use this refined technique to easily create a rat myocardial infarction and use the pathophysiological markers described herein to follow disease progression.

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Figure 1: Rat myocardial infarction surgery.
Figure 2: Qualitative effects of rat myocardial infarction surgery.
Figure 3: Collagen measured by L-hydroxyproline assay (at 14 d and 30 d after surgery).

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Acknowledgements

We thank members of the laboratory of Roger Hajjar for helpful discussions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. General Electric Global Research, Niskayuna, NY

    Qing Li,  Matthew S. Morrison &  Hae W. Lim

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  1. Qing Li
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  2. Matthew S. Morrison
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  3. Hae W. Lim
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Correspondence to Hae W. Lim.

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The authors declare competing financial interests. The authors are employees of General Electric Company, a publicly traded company.

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Li, Q., Morrison, M. & Lim, H. Using a cardiac anchor to refine myocardial infarction surgery in the rat. Lab Anim 39, 313–317 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/laban1010-313

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