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. 2019 Feb 4;21(3):272–285. doi: 10.1002/ejhf.1406

Table 1.

Proposed minimal dataset to describe fibrosis in animal studies

Parameter Example(s)
Species Mouse, rat, sheep, pig
Precise reporting of strain, genetic background, age
Perturbation Pressure overload, MI by permanent LAD ligation or ischaemia/reperfusion injury, diet, salt loading
Precise reporting of duration of intervention and period of ischaemia and pressure overload
Time course Reporting the time course of disease progression, with samples taken before and at several time points [acute, subacute (days) and chronic (months)] post‐disease induction
Assessments
Histology For instance: Masson, Picrosirius red
Percentage of LV tissue affected, sampled ROIs;
Use of validated antibodies for immune histology

  • Reparative (scarring) fibrosis vs. reactive fibrosis (quantitative or semiquantitative)

  • Amount of fibrosis (quantification), perivascular, interstitial, scarring

  • Quality: thickness and % collagen cross‐linking (Sirius red polarization, specific antibodies)

  • Myofibroblast staining (smooth muscle cell actin staining)

  • Electron microscopy for collagen fibre morphology
Inflammation glycoproteins‐proteoglycans in the heart at RNA and protein level ‐ Acute vs. chronic process (duration of disease)?
Glycoproteins/proteoglycans:

  • Periostin

  • Osteopontin

  • Syndecans

  • Thrombospondins

  • Osteoglycin

  • TGF‐β

  • CTGF

  • Galectin‐3

  • Interleukin 1, ‐10, ‐11

  • Others pending on cardiac disease


‐ Quantification of inflammation (myeloperoxidase, CD45‐ and CD68‐staining leucocytes).
‐ Collagen crosslinking enzymes (LOX's)
‐ MMP/TIMPs at transcript level and zymography
Blood biomarkers Galectin‐3
CITP
PIIINP
ST2
Imaging MRI (T1 mapping, late enhancement fibrosis)
Functional analyses Echocardiography and invasive haemodynamics for determining load‐dependent diastolic and systolic function

CITP, C‐terminal propeptide of procollagen type I; CTGF, connective tissue growth factor; LAD, left anterior descending artery; LOX, lysyl oxidase; LV, left ventricular; MI, myocardial infarction; MMP, matrix metalloproteinase; MRI, magnetic resonance imaging; PIIINP, procollagen type III N‐terminal propeptide; ROI, region of interest; TGF, transforming growth factor; TIMP, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases.