Project description:Studies examining mechanisms of Dahl salt-sensitive (SS) hypertension have implicated the infiltration of leukocytes in the kidneys, which contribute to renal disease and elevated blood pressure. However, the signaling pathways by which leukocytes traffic to the kidneys remain poorly understood. The present study nominated a signaling pathway by analyzing a kidney RNA sequencing data set from SS rats fed either a low-salt (0.4% NaCl) diet or a high-salt (4.0% NaCl) diet. From this analysis, chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 2 (CCL2) and chemokine (C-C motif) receptor 2 (CCR2) were nominated as a potential pathway modifying renal leukocyte infiltration and contributing to SS hypertension. The functional role of the CCL2/CCR2 pathway was tested by daily administration of CCR2 antagonist (RS-102895 at 5 mg·kg-1·day-1 in DMSO) or DMSO vehicle for 3 or 21 days by intraperitoneal injections during the high salt challenge. Blood pressure, renal leukocyte infiltration, and renal damage were evaluated. The results demonstrated that RS-102895 treatment ameliorated renal damage (urinary albumin excretion; 43.4 ± 5.1 vs. 114.7 ± 15.2 mg/day in vehicle, P < 0.001) and hypertension (144.3 ± 2.2 vs. 158.9 ± 4.8 mmHg in vehicle, P < 0.001) after 21 days of high-salt diet. It was determined that renal leukocyte infiltration was blunted by day 3 of the high-salt diet (1.4 ± 0.1 vs. 1.9 ± 0.2 in vehicle × 106 CD45+ cells/kidney, P = 0.034). An in vitro chemotaxis assay validated the effect of RS-102895 on leukocyte chemotaxis toward CCL2. The results suggest that increased CCL2 in SS kidneys is important in the early recruitment of leukocytes, and blockade of this recruitment by administering RS-102895 subsequently blunted the renal damage and hypertension.
Project description:Renal preglomerular arterioles regulate vascular tone to ensure a large pressure gradient over short distances, a function that is extremely important for maintaining renal microcirculation. Regulation of renal microvascular tone is impaired in salt-sensitive (SS) hypertension-induced nephropathy, but the molecular mechanisms contributing to this impairment remain elusive. Here, we assessed the contribution of the SH2 adaptor protein p66Shc (encoded by Shc1) in regulating renal vascular tone and the development of renal vascular dysfunction associated with hypertension-induced nephropathy. We generated a panel of mutant rat strains in which specific modifications of Shc1 were introduced into the Dahl SS rats. In SS rats, overexpression of p66Shc was linked to increased renal damage. Conversely, deletion of p66Shc from these rats restored the myogenic responsiveness of renal preglomerular arterioles ex vivo and promoted cellular contraction in primary vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs) that were isolated from renal vessels. In primary SMCs, p66Shc restricted the activation of transient receptor potential cation channels to attenuate cytosolic Ca2+ influx, implicating a mechanism by which overexpression of p66Shc impairs renal vascular reactivity. These results establish the adaptor protein p66Shc as a regulator of renal vascular tone and a driver of impaired renal vascular function in hypertension-induced nephropathy.
Project description:We have shown previously that T cells are required for the full development of angiotensin II-induced hypertension. However, the specific subsets of T cells that are important in this process are unknown. T helper 17 cells represent a novel subset that produces the proinflammatory cytokine interleukin 17 (IL-17). We found that angiotensin II infusion increased IL-17 production from T cells and IL-17 protein in the aortic media. To determine the effect of IL-17 on blood pressure and vascular function, we studied IL-17(-/-) mice. The initial hypertensive response to angiotensin II infusion was similar in IL-17(-/-) and C57BL/6J mice. However, hypertension was not sustained in IL-17(-/-) mice, reaching levels 30-mm Hg lower than in wild-type mice by 4 weeks of angiotensin II infusion. Vessels from IL-17(-/-) mice displayed preserved vascular function, decreased superoxide production, and reduced T-cell infiltration in response to angiotensin II. Gene array analysis of cultured human aortic smooth muscle cells revealed that IL-17, in conjunction with tumor necrosis factor-alpha, modulated expression of >30 genes, including a number of inflammatory cytokines/chemokines. Examination of IL-17 in diabetic humans showed that serum levels of this cytokine were significantly increased in those with hypertension compared with normotensive subjects. We conclude that IL-17 is critical for the maintenance of angiotensin II-induced hypertension and vascular dysfunction and might be a therapeutic target for this widespread disease.
Project description:Previously, we showed that the cytochrome P450 1B1 inhibitor 2,3',4,5'-tetramethoxystilbene reversed deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA)-salt-induced hypertension and minimized endothelial and renal dysfunction in the rat. This study was conducted to test the hypothesis that cytochrome P450 1B1 contributes to cardiac dysfunction, and renal damage and inflammation associated with DOCA-salt-induced hypertension, via increased production of reactive oxygen species and modulation of neurohumoral factors and signaling molecules. DOCA-salt increased systolic blood pressure, cardiac and renal cytochrome P450 1B1 activity, and plasma levels of catecholamines, vasopressin, and endothelin-1 in wild-type (Cyp1b1(+/+)) mice that were minimized in Cyp1b1(-/-) mice. Cardiac function, assessed by echocardiography, showed that DOCA-salt increased the thickness of the left ventricular posterior and anterior walls during diastole, the left ventricular internal diameter, and end-diastolic and end-systolic volume in Cyp1b1(+/+) but not in Cyp1b1(-/-) mice; stroke volume was not altered in either genotype. DOCA-salt increased renal vascular resistance and caused vascular hypertrophy and renal fibrosis, increased renal infiltration of macrophages and T lymphocytes, caused proteinuria, increased cardiac and renal nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate-oxidase activity, caused production of reactive oxygen species, and increased activities of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2, p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase, and cellular-Src; these were all reduced in DOCA-salt-treated Cyp1b1(-/-) mice. Renal and cardiac levels of eicosanoids were not altered in either genotype of mice. These data suggest that, in DOCA-salt hypertension in mice, cytochrome P450 1B1 plays a pivotal role in cardiovascular dysfunction, renal damage, and inflammation, and increased levels of catecholamines, vasopressin, and endothelin-1, consequent to generation of reactive oxygen species and activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2, p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase, and cellular-Src independent of eicosanoids.
Project description:HypothesisThis study tested the hypothesis that dietary activation of the master antioxidant and cell protective transcription factor nuclear factor, erythroid -2-like 2 (NRF2), protects against salt-induced vascular dysfunction by restoring redox homeostasis in the vasculature.MethodsMale Sprague-Dawley rats and Syrian hamsters were fed a HS (4.0% NaCl) diet containing ~60 mg/kg/day Protandim supplement for 2 weeks and compared to controls fed HS diet alone.ResultsProtandim supplementation restoredendothelium-dependent vasodilation in response to acetylcholine (ACh) in middle cerebral arteries (MCA)of HS-fed rats and hamster cheek pouch arterioles, and increased microvessel density in the cremastermuscle of HS-fed rats. The restored dilation to ACh in MCA of Protandim-treated rats was prevented by inhibiting nitric oxide synthase (NOS) with L-NAME [100 μM] and was absent in MCA from Nrf2(-/-) knockout rats fed HS diet. Basilar arteries from HS-fed rats treated with Protandim exhibited significantly lower staining for mitochondrial oxidizing species than untreated animals fed HS diet alone; and Protandim treatment increased MnSOD (SOD2) protein expression in mesenteric arteries of HS-fed rats.ConclusionsThese results suggest that dietary activation of NRF2 protects against salt-induced vascular dysfunction, vascular oxidative stress, and microvascular rarefaction by upregulating antioxidant defenses and reducing mitochondrial ROS levels.
Project description:Substitution of chromosome 13 from Brown Norway BN/SsNHsd/Mcw (BN/Mcw) rats into the Dahl salt-sensitive SS/JrHsd/Mcw (SS/Mcw) rats resulted in substantial reduction of blood pressure salt sensitivity in this consomic rat strain designated SSBN13. In the present study, we attempted to identify genes associated with salt-sensitive hypertension by utilizing a custom, known-gene cDNA microarray to compare the mRNA expression profiles in the renal medulla (a tissue playing a pivotal role in long-term blood pressure regulation) of SS/Mcw and SSBN13 rats on either low-salt (0.4% NaCl) or high-salt (4% NaCl, 2 wk) diets. Keywords: Dahl S rat; blood pressure; kidney; consomic rats
Project description:The gut microbiome is essential for physiological host responses and development of immune functions. The impact of gut microbiota on blood pressure and systemic vascular function, processes that are determined by immune cell function, is unknown. Unchallenged germ-free mice (GF) had a dampened systemic T helper cell type 1 skewing compared to conventionally raised (CONV-R) mice. Colonization of GF mice with regular gut microbiota induced lymphoid mRNA transcription of T-box expression in T cells and resulted in mild endothelial dysfunction. Compared to CONV-R mice, angiotensin II (AngII; 1 mg/kg per day for 7 days) infused GF mice showed reduced reactive oxygen species formation in the vasculature, attenuated vascular mRNA expression of monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and NADPH oxidase subunit Nox2, as well as a reduced upregulation of retinoic-acid receptor-related orphan receptor gamma t (Rorγt), the signature transcription factor for interleukin (IL)-17 synthesis. This resulted in an attenuated vascular leukocyte adhesion, less infiltration of Ly6G(+) neutrophils and Ly6C(+) monocytes into the aortic vessel wall, protection from kidney inflammation, as well as endothelial dysfunction and attenuation of blood pressure increase in response to AngII. Importantly, cardiac inflammation, fibrosis and systolic dysfunction were attenuated in GF mice, indicating systemic protection from cardiovascular inflammatory stress induced by AngII. Gut microbiota facilitate AngII-induced vascular dysfunction and hypertension, at least in part, by supporting an MCP-1/IL-17 driven vascular immune cell infiltration and inflammation.
Project description:Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), a main active catechin in green tea, was reported to attenuate renal injury and hypertension. However, its effects on salt-induced hypertension and renal injury remain unclear. In the present study, we explored its effects on hypertension and renal damage in Dahl rats with salt-sensitive hypertension. We found that EGCG could lower blood pressure after 6 weeks of oral administration, reduce 24 h urine protein levels and decrease creatinine clearance, and attenuate renal fibrosis, indicating that it could attenuate hypertension by protecting against renal damage. Furthermore, we studied the renal protective mechanisms of EGCG, revealing that it could lower malondialdehyde levels, reduce the numbers of infiltrated macrophages and T cells, and induce the apoptosis of NRK-49F cells. Considering that the 67 kD laminin receptor (67LR) binds to EGCG, its role in EGCG-induced fibroblast apoptosis was also investigated. The results showed that an anti-67LR antibody partially abrogated the apoptosis-inducing effects of EGCG on NRK-49F cells. In summary, EGCG may attenuate renal damage and salt-sensitive hypertension via exerting anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, and apoptosis-inducing effects on fibroblasts; the last effect is partially mediated by 67LR, suggesting that EGCG represents a potential strategy for treating salt-sensitive hypertension.
Project description:Recent reports indicate that, in addition to treating hypertension, renal denervation (RDN) also mitigates renal inflammation. However, because RDN decreases renal perfusion pressure, it is unclear whether these effects are because of the direct effects of RDN on inflammatory signaling or secondary to decreased arterial pressure (AP). Therefore, this study was conducted to elucidate the contribution of renal nerves to renal inflammation in the deoxycorticosterone (DOCA)-salt rat, a model in which RDN decreases AP and abolishes renal inflammation. In Experiment 1, we assessed the temporal changes in renal inflammation by measuring renal cytokines and AP in DOCA-salt rats. Uninephrectomized (1K) adult male Sprague Dawley rats that received surgical RDN or sham (Sham) were administered DOCA (100 mg, SC) and 0.9% saline for 21 days. AP was measured by radiotelemetry, and urinary cytokine excretion was measured repeatedly. In Experiment 2, the contribution of renal nerves in renal inflammation was assessed in a 2-kidney DOCA-salt rat to control for renal perfusion pressure. DOCA-salt treatment was administered after unilateral (U-)RDN. In Experiment 1, DOCA-salt-induced increases in AP and renal inflammation (assessed by urinary cytokines) were attenuated by RDN versus Sham. In Experiment 2, GRO/KC (growth-related oncogene/keratinocyte chemoattractant), MCP (monocyte chemoattractant protein)-1, and macrophage infiltration were lower in the denervated kidney versus the contralateral Sham kidney. No differences in T-cell infiltration were observed. Together, these data support the hypothesis that renal nerves mediate, in part, the development of renal inflammation in the DOCA-salt rat independent of hypertension. The mechanisms and cell-specificity mediating these effects require further investigation.
Project description:Substitution of chromosome 13 from Brown Norway BN/SsNHsd/Mcw (BN/Mcw) rats into the Dahl salt-sensitive SS/JrHsd/Mcw (SS/Mcw) rats resulted in substantial reduction of blood pressure salt sensitivity in this consomic rat strain designated SSBN13. In the present study, we attempted to identify genes associated with salt-sensitive hypertension by utilizing a custom, known-gene cDNA microarray to compare the mRNA expression profiles in the renal medulla (a tissue playing a pivotal role in long-term blood pressure regulation) of SS/Mcw and SSBN13 rats on either low-salt (0.4% NaCl) or high-salt (4% NaCl, 2 wk) diets. To increase the reliability of microarray data, we designed a four-way comparison experiment incorporating several levels of replication and developed a conservative yet robust data analysis method. Using this approach, from the 1,751 genes examined (representing more than 80% of all currently known rat genes), we identified 80 as being differentially expressed in at least 1 of the 4 comparisons.