Feasibility of a Göttingen mini-pig mini-invasive model for myocardial infarction induction

Abstract Myocardial infarction (MI) remains a major research focus, with efforts aimed at preserving myocardial cells and reducing fibrosis. Survival animal models are crucial for studying MI but present challenges due to disease severity and potential animal suffering. In this study, ischemia was induced in 12 Göttingen mini-pigs using transcatheter balloon occlusion of the left anterior descending artery, followed by 90 minutes of ischemia and 2 hours of reperfusion. Transthoracic echocardiography and MRI were performed before and after MI using dedicated imaging protocols. Three animals (25%) experienced ventricular fibrillation; two were successfully resuscitated, while one died. Significant post-infarction changes were observed, with a mean ejection fraction of 43% and myocardial fibrosis of 15.5%. In the subset of animals that didn’t experienced ventricular fibrillation, fibrosis increased by 10.25 ± 5.4%, while ejection fraction declined from 54 ± 3.8% to 43.3 ± 3.56% (p < 0.01). These findings suggest that this minimally invasive model is a viable approach for MI research, although the risk of lethal arrhythmias remains a concern in cases of large infarcts.