CHARACTERIZATION OF HEART FAILURE WITH PRESERVED EJECTION FRACTION MODEL INDUCED BY L-NAME AND HIGH-FAT DIET IN RATS

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is characterized by left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction, systemic inflammation, and multiple comorbidities, including hypertension, obesity and diabetes. The pathophysiological mechanisms of this disease are not yet fully established due to the limitations of preclinical models of this disease. As a result, no evidence-based clinical therapies are available for HFpEF patients. In mice, the “two-hit” HFpEF model, induced by the combination of a high-fat diet (HFD) and Nω-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), replicates most of the clinical features of HFpEF. However, this model has not been developed for studies in rats, and the present report describes the characteristics of the HFpEF model in rats for the first time.