Large Animal Models for Simulating Physiology of Transfusion of Red Cell Concentrates—A Scoping Review of The Literature

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Transfusion of red cell concentrates is a key component of medical therapy. To investigate the complex transfusion-associated biochemical and physiological processes as well as potential risks for human recipients, animal models are of particular importance. This scoping review summarizes existing large animal transfusion models for their ability to model the physiology associated with the storage of erythrocyte concentrates. Materials and Methods: The electronic databases PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science were systematically searched for original studies providing information on the intravenous application of erythrocyte concentrates in porcine, ovine, and canine animal models. Results: A total of 36 studies were included in the analysis. The majority of porcine studies evaluated hemorrhagic shock conditions. Pig models showed high physiological similarities with regard to red cell physiology during early storage. Ovine and canine studies were found to model typical aspects of human red cell storage at 42 days. Only four studies provided data on 24 h in vivo survival of red cells. Conclusions: While ovine and canine models can mimic typical human erythrocyte storage for up to 42 days, porcine models stand out for reliably simulating double-hit pathologies such as hemorrhagic shock. Large animal models remain an important area of translational research since they have an impact on testing new pharmacological or biophysical interventions to attenuate storage-related adverse effects and allow, in a controlled environment, to study background and interventions in dynamic and severe disease conditions.

Breaking barriers in trauma research: A narrative review of opportunities to leverage veterinary trauma for accelerated translation to clinical solutions for pets and people

“…Purpose-bred (i.e., laboratory) dogs have been used in translational research. Canine models of traumatic injuries have stimulated advances and changes in clinical practice [ 20 , 21 ]. While cell- and rodent-based research is crucial for understanding mechanisms of disease and therapeutic discovery, large animal (e.g., dogs, pigs, and sheep) research allows additional steps toward clinical translation.…”

“…Translatable models are essential to develop targeted treatment strategies for traumatic injuries. The need to further develop translational modeling is presented throughout the trauma literature citing the urgency of identifying new animal models that include a variety of species and reflect the natural clinical trajectory of trauma patients [ 20 , 27 ]. This relative deficiency highlights the need to develop valid and reproducible animal trauma models further.…”