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A high-salt diet does not influence renal sympathetic nerve activity: a direct telemetric investigation

Circulatory Control Laboratory, Department of Physiology and Bioengineering Institute, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand

Submitted 31 August 2008 ; accepted in final form 30 May 2009

The importance of dietary salt in the development of hypertension has long been a source of controversy. Recent studies suggest a combination of high-salt and ANG II infusion may increase sympathetic drive; however, the effect of a change in dietary salt alone is unclear. Using telemetry, we recorded renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA), arterial pressure (MAP), and heart rate (HR) in seven New Zealand white rabbits before and during a 6-day period of increased salt intake (normal NaCl 0.5 g·kg^–1·day^–1, high NaCl 2.5 g·kg^–1·day^–1) and a second group of seven rabbits with normal salt intake throughout. The responses to stressful stimuli encountered in the laboratory were recorded and compared with rest in control and high-salt groups. Resting MAP, HR, and RSNA were not significantly altered with high salt intake [88 ± 5 vs. 91 ± 6 mmHg; 251 ± 8 vs. 244 ± 9 beats per minute (bpm); 9.7 ± and 1.2 vs. 10.8 ± 1.7 normalized units (nu)] despite significant reductions in plasma renin activity (1.88 ± 0.18 vs. 1.27 ± 0.15 nmol ANG I·l^–1·h^–1; P < 0.05) and ANG II (7.5 ± 1.2 vs. 4.3 ± 0.8 pmol/l). Increasing levels of stressful stimuli (resting in home cage, containment in box, handling, and nasopharyngeal activation) in animals on a normal salt diet caused graded increases in MAP (89 ± 2 mmHg, 95 ± 2 mmHg, 107 ± 4 mmHg, and 122 ± 5 mmHg, respectively) and RSNA (9.7 ± 0.9 nu; 11.8 ± 2.7 nu; 31.4 ± 3.7 nu; 100 nu) but not HR (245 ± 8 bpm; 234 ± 8 bpm; 262 ± 9 bpm; 36 ± 5 bpm). High dietary salt did not significantly alter the responses to stress. We conclude that a 6-day period of high salt intake does not alter the level of RSNA, with non-neural mechanisms primarily responsible for the observed renin-angiotensin system suppression.

blood pressure; dietary salt; renin-angiotensin system