The interface of aging and salt in driving salt-sensitive hypertension: a comparative study in aged and young rats.

ABSTRACT: Hypertension prevalence is increasing in both aging and younger populations, with high salt intake being a key environmental driver. Whether young and aged individuals exhibit similar physiological and molecular responses to salt loading remains unclear. This study compared hemodynamic and renal redox adaptations to salt loading in young (8-week) and aged (50-week) Dahl salt-sensitive (DSS) rats. Both groups developed salt-sensitive hypertension, but blood pressure (BP) elevation was markedly lower in aged rats. High salt induced marked increases in stroke volume (SV), cardiac output (CO), and vascular indices, indicating strong cardiac and vascular contributions to BP rise. In contrast, aged rats displayed blunted increases in SV and CO, together with attenuated changes in vascular indice

SUBMITTER: Zeng L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12916926 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature