Clinical efficacy of buprenorphine after oral dosing in rats undergoing major surgery.

Serum corticosterone, serum buprenorphine, body weight change, consumption of food and water and behaviour-based pain assessment were measured in catheterised and non-catheterised male Wistar rats undergoing myocardial infarct (MI) surgery under general anaesthesia following buprenorphine dosing by subcutaneous (Bup-SC, 0.05 mg/kg) and oral (Bup-O, 0.4 mg/kg) routes.

Disruption of Phosphodiesterase 3A Binding to SERCA2 Increases SERCA2 Activity and Reduces Mortality in Mice With Chronic Heart Failure.

Background: Increasing SERCA2 (sarco[endo]-plasmic reticulum Ca ATPase 2) activity is suggested to be beneficial in chronic heart failure, but no selective SERCA2-activating drugs are available. PDE3A (phosphodiesterase 3A) is proposed to be present in the SERCA2 interactome and limit SERCA2 activity. Disruption of PDE3A from SERCA2 might thus be a strategy to develop SERCA2 activators.

Sacubitril/valsartan ameliorates cardiac hypertrophy and preserves diastolic function in cardiac pressure overload.

Aims: Sacubitril/valsartan (sac/val) has shown superior effect compared with blockade of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction. We aimed to investigate effects of sac/val compared with valsartan in a pressure overload model of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF).

Methods And Results: Sprague-Dawley rats underwent aortic banding or sham (n = 16) surgery and were randomized to sac/val (n = 28), valsartan (n = 29), or vehicle (n = 26) treatment for 8 weeks.

A novel method for high precision aortic constriction that allows for generation of specific cardiac phenotypes in mice.

Aims: Generation of reproducible cardiac disease phenotypes in mice is instrumental for investigating mechanisms leading to heart failure (HF). For decades, suture-based thoracic aortic constriction has been the preferred method for increasing left ventricular (LV) afterload in rodents, but the degree of stenosis resulting from this method is variable. In an effort to improve this methodology, we subjected mice to constriction of the ascending aorta using o-rings with fixed inner diameters (IDs).