Figure 5 |. Effect of dietary chloride intake on fructose-induced hypertension, and blood and urine chemical analysis in rat.

(a) Chloride-free diet blocks fructose-induced hypertension in rats. Systolic blood pressure increased significantly in rats on increased dietary fructose intake for 5 weeks. The chloride-free/high-fructose diet prevented a rise in blood pressure that was observed in rats on a high-fructose (normal chloride) diet. (b) Serum and urine chemical analysis in rats on increased fructose intake with or without chloride. Urine and serum chemistries indicated that the kidney function and vascular volume were normal in rats on the high-fructose, chloride-free, or chloride-free/high-fructose diet. (c) Daily urinary excretion of chloride and sodium in rats on high-fructose diet. The 24-h urinary excretion of chloride and sodium reduced significantly in rats on increased fructose dietary intake, when compared with control diet in the same rats. Animals were in metabolic cages for 5 days, with 1 day on control diet and the following 4 days on increased fructose intake diet. *P<0.02, **P<0.005, and ***P<0.002 vs control diet. (d) Expression of renin in kidneys of Slc26a6^+/+ mice on increased fructose intake. Expression of renin decreased by ~50% in animals on high-fructose diet for 2 weeks. BUN; blood urea nitrogen.