Fig. 1.

Study protocol and basic physiological parameters assessment throughout the study. (a) Experimental protocol showing the 3 groups of PCK rats studied on normal (0.4% NaCl, NS), high salt (4% NaCl, HS), and sodium-deficient (0.01% NaCl, SD) diets for 8 weeks starting at 6 weeks of age. Metabolic cage urine collections and GFR measurements were performed throughout the protocol. Values were compared using a repeated-measures ANOVA. (b,c) Daily urinary output (b) and food intake (c) of the experimental groups measured during the study. (d,e) Body weight (d) and two kidneys to body weight ratio (2 K/BW, (e)) data was obtained from the animals at the end of the experimental protocol. Values were compared using a repeated-measures ANOVA with Holm-Sidak post-hoc (d) and one-way ANOVA with a Tukey post-hoc test (e). In box plots, the box is SEM, whiskers represent SD, and the line within the box shows the median value. N = 8 animals per group.