This chapter provides a collection of methods generally used in experimental
pharmacology to test compounds with different activities in the cardiovascular system.
There are many models in vitro and in vivo and we have highlighted those used in the
field of natural compounds research. For the in vitro procedures, the focus was on the
inhibition of enzymes, such as an angiotensin-converting enzyme or nitric oxide
synthase, which plays a pivotal role in maintaining vascular control and overall blood
pressure. Moreover, test procedures on isolated vessels were also considered for
compounds whose activity is exerted on specific targets expressed in the vasculature.
Regarding the in vivo methods, heart failure and hypertension models were highlighted
for their high incidence of overall deaths cause. In particular, we have analyzed models
of heart failure in rats and mice, animals generally used in preclinical studies. In
addition, it also evaluated useful models of hypertension involving mainly rats;
however, in many cases, the procedure could be translated to different animal species.
Keywords: Cardiovascular system, Hypertension, Endothelium, Cardiac failure, Vascular function.
