Objective and design: The present study was designed to determine whether increases in sodium concentration in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) play a role in the augmented hypertension induced by long-term salt loading in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), and whether the enhanced arginine vasopressin (AVP) activity and/or the sympathetic nervous system contribute to the increased hypertension.
Methods: Measurement of CSF sodium concentration and systolic blood pressure of SHR during salt loading, with or without uninephrectomy, for 7 weeks. Assessment of the hypotensive response to AVP antagonist and hexamethonium, and the plasma levels of AVP and catecholamines.
Results: Salt-loading for 7 weeks led to gradual increase in hypertension in SHR. CSF sodium in the SHR was increased by a combination of uninephrectomy and saline-drinking after 7 weeks, but not 3 weeks. The difference in mean arterial pressure (MAP) among the three groups of SHR disappeared after the combined blockade of AVP and sympathetic nervous function. CSF sodium correlated with both resting MAP and the fall in MAP induced by the combined administration of AVP antagonist and hexamethonium. Plasma levels of AVP were significantly elevated in the salt-loaded uninephrectomized SHR. Plasma catecholamines did not change significantly as a result of treatment.
Conclusions: We tentatively conclude that chronic salt loading may lead to an increase in CSF sodium, in association with an enhancement of sympathetic nerve activity and, to some extent, of AVP release. These events may explain the augmented development of hypertension in SHR.