Diastolic Dysfunction in the Hypertensive mRen2 Rat

Do basic scientists now have a good animal model of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) that mimics the human pathology? It’s very likely, according to the recent work by Kovacs et al. In this podcast, Editor in Chief Irving H. Zucker interviews lead author Arpad Kovacs (University of Debrecen, Hungary) and content expert Nazha Hamdani (VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, and Ruhr University, Germany) about the fascinating new work by Kovacs and co-authors which seeks to understand the interplay between the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) and hypertension in the unique mRen2 rat model of HFpEF. What role do the titin filament network and collagen fibers of the extracellular matrix play in LV diastolic dysfunction? Do the mechanisms underlying diastolic dysfunction hold the key to understanding if the hypertension associated with mRen2 rats is unique to this model or an inevitable consequence of hypertension? Listen now.

Árpád Kovács, Gabor Aron Fulop, Andrea Kovacs, Tamas Csipo, Beata Bodi, Daniel Priksz, Bela Juhasz, Lívia Beke, Zoltán Hendrik, Gábor Méhes, Henk Granzier, Istvan Edes, Miklós Fagyas, Zoltán Papp, Judit Barta, Attila Tóth Renin overexpression leads to increased titin-based stiffness contributing to diastolic dysfunction in hypertensive mRen2 rats Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol, published April 8, 2016. DOI: 10.1152/ajpheart.00842.2015