Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2010 Mar;6(1):1-7.

A pilot study for inducing chronic heart failure in calves by means of oral monensin

Roula Zahr  1 , Diyar Saeed, Hideyuki Fumoto, Tetsuya Horai, Shanaz Shalli, Tomohiro Anzai, Yoko Arakawa, Raymond Dessoffy, Jacquelyn Catanese, Alex Massiello, Kenneth N Litwak, Kiyotaka Fukamachi
Affiliations

A pilot study for inducing chronic heart failure in calves by means of oral monensin

Roula Zahr et al. Int J Biomed Sci. 2010 Mar.

Abstract

Introduction: Heart failure remains a major cause of mortality in the United States, despite advancing technologies, newer methods of treatment, and novel devices. To evaluate such novel devices, a large-animal model of chronic heart failure is critical in carrying out preclinical animal studies.

Methods: We evaluated the efficacy of oral monensin in inducing stable heart failure in five Jersey calves. Various doses of monensin were administered. Hemodynamics, pressure-volume loops, echocardiographic measurements, extent of tissue perfusion, and histopathologic data were recorded before and after induction of heart failure.

Results: Responses were variable in the animals. One experiment showed a significant decrease in cardiac output within one week, associated with simultaneous increases in left atrial pressure, central venous pressure, and mean pulmonary artery pressure. Left ventricular pressure-volume loops showed that the slope of the end-systolic pressure-volume relation decreased markedly between the baseline and terminal study, suggesting a decrease in contractility. Echocardiographic studies indicated a decrease in ejection fraction. Histopathologic analysis in cardiac tissue showed extensive fibrosis and necrosis.

Conclusion: We demonstrated the feasibility of inducing and maintaining severe yet stable heart failure for up to 3 weeks in a calf model by administration of oral monensin.

Keywords: animal models; bovine; heart failure; hemodynamics; ionophores.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Changes in cardiac output (CO) and left atrial pressure (LAP) after four doses of oral monensin administration in animal 1.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Changes in cardiac output (CO) and left atrial pressure (LAP) after two doses of oral monensin administration in animal 3.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Changes in LV volumes and ejection fraction (EF) from echocardiography in animal 3.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Tissue perfusions in the heart and kidney determined by BioPal™ microspheres in animal 3.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Hunt SA. American College of Cardiology; American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines (Writing Committee to Update the 2001 Guidelines for the Evaluation and Management of Heart Failure). ACC/AHA 2005 guideline update for the diagnosis and management of chronic heart failure in the adult: a report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines (Writing Committee to Update the 2001 Guidelines for the Evaluation and Management of Heart Failure) J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. 2005;46:e1–82. Erratum in: J. Am Coll Cardiol. 2006;47:1503–1505. - PubMed
    1. Taylor DO, Edwards LB, Boucek MM, et al. Registry of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation: twenty-fourth official adult heart transplant report--2007. J. Heart Lung Transplant. 2007;26:769–781. - PubMed
    1. Copeland JG, Smith RG, Arabia FA, et al. Cardio West Total Artificial Heart Investigators. Cardiac replacement with a total artificial heart as a bridge to transplantation. N. Engl. J. Med. 2004;351:859–867. - PubMed
    1. Morgan JA, John R, Rao V, et al. Bridging to transplant with the HeartMate left ventricular assist device: The Columbia Presbyterian 12-year experience. J. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg. 2004;127:1309–1316. - PubMed
    1. Litwak KN, McMahan A, Lott KA, Lott LE, et al. Monensin toxicosis in the domestic bovine calf: a large animal model of cardiac dysfunction. Contemp. Top Lab. Anim. Sci. 2005;44:45–49. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources