Faculty Collaboration Database

Salt intake and angiotensin II alter microvessel density in the cremaster muscle of normal rats. Am J Physiol 1992 Sep;263(3 Pt 2):H664-7

Date

09/11/1992

Pubmed ID

1415589

DOI

10.1152/ajpheart.1992.263.3.H664

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-0026655481 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   78 Citations

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of salt intake and angiotensin II (ANG II) levels on microvessel density (MVD). Rats with indwelling arterial and venous catheters were placed on either a high-salt (HS; 4%) or a low-salt diet (LS; 0.4%) for 2 or 4 wk, and blood pressure, heart rate, and plasma renin activity were measured. Plasma ANG II was fixed at normal levels in half of the rats on HS by continuous intravenous infusion of ANG II (5 ng.kg-1.min-1). Samples of cremaster muscle were examined histologically to determine MVD. No difference in MVD was observed between HS and LS groups after 2 wk. After 4 wk on HS, MVD was reduced (22.4%, P less than 0.05) compared with the LS group. In rats fed HS, ANG II infusion induced a significant dose-dependent increase in MVD from 85.11 +/- 3.34 to 98.94 +/- 4.62 (ANG II, 5 ng.kg-1.min-1) and to 107.60 +/- 7.00 (ANG II, 10 ng.kg-1.min-1) (P less than 0.05), with no change in blood pressure. Maintenance of ANG II levels for 4 wk blocked the rarefaction due to salt. These results suggest that the decrease in MVD due to salt could be the result of a dietary-induced fall in plasma ANG II levels.

Author List

Hernandez I, Cowley AW Jr, Lombard JH, Greene AS

Author

Allen W. Cowley Jr PhD Professor in the Physiology department at Medical College of Wisconsin

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Angiotensin II
Animals
Diet
Hemodynamics
Male
Microcirculation
Muscles
Rats
Rats, Sprague-Dawley
Reference Values
Renin
Sodium Chloride