Novel Therapeutic Targets for the Treatment of Right Ventricular Remodeling: Insights from the Pulmonary Artery Banding Model

Right ventricular (RV) function is the main determinant of the outcome of patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH). RV dysfunction develops gradually and worsens progressively over the course of PH, resulting in RV failure and premature death. Currently, approved therapies for the treatment of left ventricular failure are not established for the RV. Furthermore, the direct effects of specific vasoactive drugs for treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH, Group 1 of PH) on RV are not fully investigated. Pulmonary artery banding (PAB) allows to study the pathogenesis of RV failure solely, thereby testing potential therapies independently of pulmonary vascular changes. This review aims to discuss recent studies of the mechanisms of RV remodeling and RV-directed therapies based on the PAB model.

Automated summary

RV function plays a critical role in the outcome of patients with pulmonary hypertension, but approved therapies for left ventricular failure are not established for RV. The direct effects of specific vasoactive drugs for pulmonary arterial hypertension on RV are still not fully investigated. The use of pulmonary artery banding (PAB) allows for independent study of RV failure pathogenesis and testing of potential therapies.