【Animal modeling】-Echocardiographic evaluation of cardiac structure and function changes after acute myocardial ischemia injury in rats

  Objective: To evaluate the changes of cardiac structure and function in rats after acute myocardial ischemia injury by echocardiography.

  Methods: Thirty male rats were randomly divided into a sham operation group, a model group, and a diltiazem group, 10 in each group. A rat model of acute myocardial ischemia injury was established by ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery. After 15 days, cardiac ultrasound was used to detect the functional changes of the left ventricular structure, including left ventricular ejection fraction (EF), left ventricular short-axis shortening (FS), stroke volume (SV), cardiac output (CO), Left ventricular end-diastolic and end-systolic inner diameters (LVIDd and LVIDs), left ventricular posterior wall thickness at end-diastole and end-systole (LVPWd and LVPWs), left ventricular anterior wall thickness at end-diastole and end-systole (LVAWd and LVAWs) and other indicators; The degree of left ventricle dilatation was determined by vince blue and TTC staining methods; serum amino-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels were detected by ELISA method; and the pathological changes of myocardial tissue HE staining in each group were observed under light microscope.

  RESULTS: Cardiac ultrasound showed that compared with the sham operation group, LVIDd and LVIDs in the model group were significantly increased, while LVAWd, LVAWs, LVPWd and LVPWs were significantly decreased (P<0.05 or P<0.01); at the same time, the serum NT-proBNP level increased Compared with the model group, diltiazem could significantly reduce LVIDd and LVIDs, increase LVAWd, LVAWs, LVPWd and LVPWs after myocardial ischemia in rats; at the same time, serum NT-proBNP level decreased and inhibited left ventricular cavity enlargement (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01).

  Conclusion: The combination of multiple indicators of cardiac ultrasound can well evaluate the changes of cardiac structure and function after acute myocardial ischemia injury in rats, and will become the main method for the study of cardiovascular disease in small animals.