Dahl salt-sensitive rats are protected against vascular defects related to diet-induced obesity. Hypertension 2012 Aug;60(2):404-10
Date
06/20/2012Pubmed ID
22710645Pubmed Central ID
PMC3444144DOI
10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.112.191551Scopus ID
2-s2.0-84864282707 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 25 CitationsAbstract
Obesity increases plasma renin activity and angiotensin II levels, leading to vascular damage, elevated blood pressure, diabetes mellitus, and renal damage. Because genetic deletion of crucial parts of the renin-angiotensin system protect against obesity-related cardiovascular defects, we hypothesized that Dahl salt-sensitive (SS) rats, a model of chronically low plasma renin activity and angiotensin II levels, would be protected against vascular defects during diet-induced obesity compared with SS.13(BN) consomic rats showing normal renin-angiotensin system regulation. We evaluated vascular function in middle cerebral arteries of SS or SS.13(BN) rats fed high-fat (45% kcal from fat) versus normal-fat diet for 15 to 20 weeks from weaning. Endothelium-dependent relaxation in response to acetylcholine (10(-8) to 10(-4) mol/L) was restored in middle cerebral arteries of high-fat SS rats versus normal-fat diet controls, whereas vasodilation to acetylcholine was dramatically reduced in high-fat SS 13(BN) rats versus normal-fat diet controls. These findings support the hypothesis that physiological levels of angiotensin II play an important role in maintaining normal vascular relaxation in cerebral arteries and suggest that the cerebral vasculature of the SS rat model is genetically protected against endothelial dysfunction in diet-induced obesity.
Author List
Beyer AM, Raffai G, Weinberg B, Fredrich K, Lombard JHAuthor
Andreas M. Beyer PhD Associate Professor in the Medicine department at Medical College of WisconsinMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
AcetylcholineAngiotensin II
Animals
Body Weight
Diet, High-Fat
Disease Models, Animal
Eating
Endothelium, Vascular
Male
Middle Cerebral Artery
Obesity
Rats
Rats, Inbred Dahl
Renin
Renin-Angiotensin System
Vasodilation
Vasodilator Agents
