Excess dietary potassium raises blood pressure in male mice by an aldosterone-dependent increase in ENaC.

ABSTRACT: Hypertension is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Low dietary potassium (K⁺) intake is associated with higher blood pressure (BP) and increased activity of the kidney NaCl cotransporter NCC. Increasing dietary K⁺ can lower NCC activity and reduce BP, but a threshold for beneficial effects of dietary K⁺ is apparent, with very high K⁺ intakes associated with higher BP. Here, we examine in male C57Bl/6J mice if an optimal BP-lowering K⁺ intake window exists and the molecular basis of K⁺ driven increases in BP. Telemetric BP recordings are performed in mice receiving diets with normal (0.74%) NaCl content and progressively increasing K⁺ content (0.75% to 5% K⁺, as KCl) for 5 days. None of the diets

SUBMITTER: Assmus AM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12623465 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature