Cardiomyopathic Syrian hamster as a model of congestive heart failure.

Cardiomyopathic Syrian hamsters (Bio TO-2 dilated strain) constitute an animal model of congestive heart failure, which progressively develops an alteration of cardiac function leading to decreased arterial blood pressure and musculo-cutaneous blood flow associated with a complex process of cardiac remodeling including left ventricle dilation, wall thinning, and greater collagen density. The protocols described in this unit are designed to assess the pharmacological effects of new therapeutic strategies on cardiac and systemic hemodynamics, morphometry (body and target organs weight), cardiac remodeling (left ventricle dilation and collagen density), and survival in this model of dilated cardiomyopathy. Examples of results obtained with enalapril, an angiotensin I converting enzyme inhibitor, are provided for illustrative purposes.