Cardiopulmonary remodeling in fattened beef cattle: a naturally occurring large animal model of obesity‐associated pulmonary hypertension with left heart disease
Abstract
The obesity epidemic in developed societies has led to increased cardiovascular diseases including pulmonary hypertension associated with left heart disease (PH‐LHD), the largest and fastest‐growing class of PH. Similar to obese humans, PH and heart failure (HF) are increasingly recognized in North American fattened beef cattle. We hypothesized that PH and HF in fattened beef cattle are novel, phenotypically distinct manifestations of bovine PH arising from left ventricular (LV) dysfunction similar to obesity‐related PH‐LHD in humans. We conducted a semi‐quantitative histopathological assessment of cardiopulmonary tissues obtained from fattened beef cattle suffering end‐stage HF compared to asymptomatic cattle of equivalent age undergoing the same fattening regimens. In HF animals we observed significant LV fibrosis, abundant cardiac adipose depots, coronary artery injury, and pulmonary venous remodeling recapitulating human obesity‐related PH‐LHD. Additionally, striking muscularization, medial hypertrophy, adventitial fibrosis, and vasa vasorum hyperplasia in the pulmonary arterial circulation were associated with sequela of pathologic right ventricular (RV) remodeling suggesting combined pulmonary venous and arterial hypertension. The association between obesity, pathologic cardiopulmonary remodeling, and HF in fattened beef cattle appears to recapitulate the complex pathophysiology of obesity‐associated PH‐LHD in humans. This novel, naturally occurring, and large animal model may provide mechanistic and translational insights into human disease.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2019
- Source ID
- 10.1177/2045894018796804
Entities
People
- Daniel H. Gould
- Franklyn Garry
- Gary L. Mason
- Greta M. Krafsur
- Joseph M. Neary
- Kurt R Stenmark
- Michael P. Heaton
- Milton G. Thomas
- R. Dale Brown
- R. Mark Enns
- Rubin M. Tuder
- Timothy Holt
Organizations
- Colorado State University
- Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
- Texas Tech University
- U.S. Meat Animal Research Center
- University of Colorado Denver