Models of heart failure progression: Ca2+ dysregulation

Despite the recent improvement in the efficacy of medical treatments, heart failure remains the leading cause of mortality in the western world. Heart failure is a complex syndrome characterized by functional and structural abnormalities of the myocardium. Alteration of Ca2+ homeostasis is thought to be a crucial mechanism underlying heart failure pathogenesis. This review focuses on the experimental models that have recently been developed to investigate the role of Ca2+ in heart failure.

Section editors:Rahul Kakkar and Richard T. Lee – Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Cambridge, MA, USA