Skip to main content
PMC home page
The Journal of Experimental Medicine logoLink to The Journal of Experimental Medicine
. 1967 Oct 1;126(4):687–699. doi: 10.1084/jem.126.4.687

EFFECTS OF CHRONIC EXCESS SALT INGESTION

GENETIC INFLUENCE ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF SALT HYPERTENSION IN PARABIOTIC RATS: EVIDENCE FOR A HUMORAL FACTOR

Lewis K Dahl 1, Knud D Knudsen 1, Martha Heine 1, George Leitl 1
PMCID: PMC2138384  PMID: 6058221

Abstract

Parabiosis has been found to modify the expected blood pressure response of rats from two strains with opposite genetic propensities for experimental hypertension. When a member from one strain was united in parabiosis with a member from the other and both were maintained on high NaCl diet, the rat from the strain ordinarily resistant to it rapidly developed hypertension, in contrast to appropriate controls from this strain. The development of hypertension in this resistant animal preceded that in its mate from the strain highly sensitive to hypertension. In the latter, both the level of hypertension and mortality were significantly less than in its control. It seems likely that the hypertension observed is the resistant parabiont was initiated in its partner from the sensitive strain. This modification in blood pressures was not observed in the absence of a high NaCl diet. Parabiosis between animals from the same strain did not alter their response. Thus, as in earlier experiences (1–4) the interaction of a nongenetic factor (NaCl) with the appropriate genetic substrate appeared to be necessary for the development of hypertension. The findings are interpreted as evidence that a transmittable humoral influence plays an important role in the pathogenesis of rat hypertension. The presence of this agent is genetically determined but, under the conditions of these experiments, it took the added stimulus of dietary NaCl to demonstrate its existence.

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (706.9 KB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. DAHL L. K. Effects of chronic excess salt feeding. Induction of self-sustaining hypertension in rats. J Exp Med. 1961 Aug 1;114:231–236. doi: 10.1084/jem.114.2.231. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. DAHL L. K. Effects of chronic excess saltfeeding. Elevation of plasma cholesterol in rats and dogs. J Exp Med. 1960 Oct 1;112:635–651. doi: 10.1084/jem.112.4.635. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. DAHL L. K., HEINE M. Effects of chronic excess salt feeding. Enhanced hypertensogenic effect of sea salt over sodium chloride. J Exp Med. 1961 Jun 1;113:1067–1076. doi: 10.1084/jem.113.6.1067. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. DAHL L. K., HEINE M., TASSINARI L. EFFECTS OF CHRONIC EXCESS SALT INGESTION. ROLE OF GENETIC FACTORS IN BOTH DOCA-SALT AND RENAL HYPERTENSION. J Exp Med. 1963 Oct 1;118:605–617. doi: 10.1084/jem.118.4.605. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. DAHL L. K., HEINE M., TASSINARI L. Role of genetic factors in susceptibility to experimental hypertension due to chronic excess salt ingestion. Nature. 1962 May 5;194:480–482. doi: 10.1038/194480b0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. DAHL L. K., SCHACKOW E. EFFECTS OF CHRONIC EXCESS SALT INGESTION: EXPERIMENTAL HYPERTENSION IN THE RAT. Can Med Assoc J. 1964 Jan 25;90:155–160. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Dahl L. K., Heine M., Tassinari L. Effects of chronic excess salt ingestion. Further demonstration that genetic factors influence the development of hypertension: evidence from experimental hypertension due to cortisone and to adrenal regeneration. J Exp Med. 1965 Sep 1;122(3):533–545. doi: 10.1084/jem.122.3.533. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. FLOYER M. A., RICHARDSON P. C. Mechanism of arterial hypertension. Role of capacity and resistance vessels. Lancet. 1961 Feb 4;1(7171):253–255. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(61)91423-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. HALL C. E., HALL O. Hypertensive disease produced by desoxycorticosterone acetate in parabiotic rats. AMA Arch Pathol. 1951 Mar;51(3):249–259. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. HALL C. E., HALL O. Production and pathogenesis of parabiotic hypertension in the rat. AMA Arch Pathol. 1951 May;51(5):527–538. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. HALL C. E., HALL O. The relationship of sodium intake to the hypertensive hyalinosis syndrome produced in the rat by parabiosis. I. Hypertensive cardiovascular disease. Tex Rep Biol Med. 1951;9(4):714–727. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. KOLETSKY S., PRITCHARD W. H. FAILURE TO DEMONSTRATE VASOPRESSOR MATERIAL IN SALT HYPERTENSIVE RATS. Am J Physiol. 1964 Jul;207:152–154. doi: 10.1152/ajplegacy.1964.207.1.152. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. LEDINGHAM J. M., COHEN R. D. CHANGES IN THE EXTRACELLULAR FLUID VOLUME AND CARDIAC OUTPUT DURING THE DEVELOPMENT OF EXPERIMENTAL RENAL HYPERTENSION. Can Med Assoc J. 1964 Jan 25;90:292–294. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. LEDINGHAM J. M., COHEN R. D. THE ROLE OF THE HEART IN THE PATHOGENESIS OF RENAL HYPERTENSION. Lancet. 1963 Nov 9;2(7315):979–981. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(63)90677-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. LEDINGHAM J. M. The nature of the hypertension occurring in the nephrectomised parabiotic rat. Clin Sci. 1951 Nov;10(4):423–439. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from The Journal of Experimental Medicine are provided here courtesy of The Rockefeller University Press

RESOURCES