The pig as an optimal animal model for cardiovascular research

Abstract

Cardiovascular disease is a worldwide health problem and a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Preclinical cardiovascular research using animals is needed to explore potential targets and therapeutic options. Compared with rodents, pigs have many advantages, with their anatomy, physiology, metabolism and immune system being more similar to humans. Here we present an overview of the available pig models for cardiovascular diseases, discuss their advantages over other models and propose the concept of standardized models to improve translation to the clinical setting and control research costs. This Review discusses the use of pig models in animal research for cardiovascular diseases, highlighting their advantages over rodent models and suggesting the need for standardized models to enhance clinical translation and target potential treatments.