A New Ex Vivo Model to Study Cardiac Fibrosis in Whole Mouse Hearts

Fibrosis is a characteristic of many cardiac diseases for which no effective treatment exists. We have developed an ex vivo flow system, which allows induction of cardiac fibrosis in intact adult mouse hearts. Lineage-tracing studies indicated that the collagen-producing myofibroblasts originated from the resident fibroblasts. The extent of fibrosis was flow rate dependent, and pharmacological inhibition of the transforming growth factor beta signaling pathway prevented fibrosis. Therefore, in this powerful system, the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying cardiac fibrosis can be studied. In addition, new targets can be tested on organ level for their ability to inhibit fibrosis.