Abstract: Objective To establish rat model of chronic heart failure by partially banding abdominal aorta for different time limits and to elucidate the clinical implication of exercise test on evaluation of cardiac function of the rat model of chronic heart failure.Methods Eighty Wistar rats were randomly divided into two groups: aortic banding group and sham-group(each containing 40 rats).Cardiac mass index,exercise parameters,hemodynamic parameters and cardiac morphological changes were investigated at different time(4,8,12 and 16 weeks after the operation) in different groups.Results Left ventricular end-diastolic pressure(LVEDP) increased greatly in aortic banding group compared with sham-groups(after 8 weeks,P<0.05).The diastolic parameter of-dp/dt decreased in 4 weeks after aortic banding(P=0.054),and lower than sham-group significantly in 8 weeks after operation(P<0.001).Left ventricular systolic pressure(LVSP) and +dp/dt increased after 12 weeks of aortic banding operation(P<0.05) compared with sham-group.Cardiac mass and cardiac mass index increased from 4 weeks after aortic banding(P>0.05) compared with sham-group,and more significant higher than the sham-group in 8 weeks after operation(P<0.05).Cardiac myocardial diameter(CMD) increased compared with sham-group from 4 weeks after aortic banding(P<0.001).Parameters of exercise test in aortic banding group decreased compared with sham-groups of corresponding time points(P>0.05),and more significant in 16 weeks after operation(P<0.01).And the parameters of exercise test in aortic banding group of 16 weeks after the operation were also lower than the baseline(P<0.001).Conclusion Abdominal aortic banding can successfully copy chronic heart failure model in rats.Exercise test can be successfully used for the evaluation of cardiac function of the model.

Key words: rat, abdominal aortic banding, cardiac hypertrophy/heart failure, animal model, exercise test