Table 2.
Studies on the role of renal inflammation in the pathogenesis of hypertension
| Treatment | Experimental models | Findings |
|---|---|---|
| Athymic (nude) mice/ neonatal thymectomy | Renal infarct, 2 DOCA-salt, 3 NZB mice 4 | Acute hypertension unchanged; late (chronic) phase hypertension corrected. Reduction in renal inflammation |
| Adrenal steroids/6 MP | Renal infarct 79 | Improvement in hypertension. Reduction in antikidney and antiartery antibodies |
| Transfer of splenic cells from DOCA-salt hypertensive rats | Normotensive rats 80 | Induction of renal inflammation and hypertension (by immune reactivity against arterial walls) |
| Cyclophosphamide | NZB mice, 81 SHRs 82 | Reduction in perivascular immune cell infiltration in the kidneys. Amelioration of hypertension |
| Cyclosporin A | dTGF rats 83 | Reduced renal injury, proteinuria, and immune cell infiltration. Amelioration of hypertension |
| Mycofenolate mofetil | SHRs, 11 Dahl SS, 13 post all SSHBP, 16,17 post L-NAME SSHBP, 18 DOCA-salt, 15 chronic lead toxicity, 84 overload proteinuria, 85 cellophane wrapped kidney, 86 prenatally programmed hypertension, 87 dTGF rats 14 | Reduction of immune cell infiltration, angiotensin II, and oxidative stress. Amelioration of hypertension and prevention of SSHBP |
| Ehanercept/dexamethasone | dTGF rats 14 | Reducton in renal inflammation and renal injury. No effect on blood pressure |
| Inhibition of NFkB | SHRs, 88 dTGF rats 89 | Reduced renal injury, proteinuria, and immune cell infiltration. Amelioration of hypertension in SHRs, not in the dTGF rats |
| Mutation of Rag 1 gene | Dahl salt-sensitive rat 90 | Reduction in renal immune cell infiltration and albuminuria and amelioration of salt-induced hypertension |
| CD247 knockout | Dahl salt-sensitive rat 91 | Reduction in renal T-cell infiltration and correction of hypertension |
| Induction of immune tolerance to HSP70 | L-NAME–induced SSHBP 43 | Reduction in renal immune cell infiltration, prevention of SSHBP |
Studies demonstrating the role of renal inflammation in the pathogenesis of hypertension.
Abbreviations: 6MP, 6 mercaptopurine; DOCA, deoxycorticosterone acetate; dTGF, double transgenic rat harboring human renin and angiotensinogen genes; NfKB, nuclear factor kappa B; NZB, New Zealand black; SHR, spontaneously hypertensive rat; SS, salt sensitive; SSHBP, salt-sensitive hypertension.