Exogenous 25-hydroxycholecalciferol does not attenuate salt-induced hypertension

We have reported that an inverse relationship exists between blood pressure and plasma concentration of 25-hydroxyvitamin D, the precursor of the hormonal form of vitamin D, for Dahl salt-sensitive rats fed a high salt diet. Plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations decreased with time on the diet, as blood pressure increased. Experiments were conducted to determine whether the blood pressure increase of salt-sensitive rats fed a high salt diet could be attenuated by exogenous 25-hydroxycholecalciferol. Dahl salt-sensitive rats were fed a high salt diet and administered exogenous 25-hydroxycholecalciferol via subcutaneously implanted Alzet pumps. Exogenous 25-hydroxycholecalciferol (various doses from 28 to 80 μg/kg body weight-day) had no significant effect on the blood pressure of vitamin D-replete rats fed a high salt diet for 15 days. When exogenous 25-hydroxycholecalciferol (28 and 60 μg/day-kg body weight) was administered to vitamin D-depleted salt-sensitive rats, plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations of the rats fed a low salt diet (26±2 and 59±6 nM) were proportional to the 25-hydroxycholecalciferol concentration in the pumps. Plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations of the rats fed a high salt diet (18±1 and 23±3 nM) were not proportional to the 25-hydroxycholecalciferol concentration in the pumps, but were inversely proportional to the blood pressure of the rats. These data indicate no ameliorating effect of exogenous 25-hydroxycholecalciferol on salt-induced hypertension, but accelerated metabolism and/or clearance of 25-hydroxycholecalciferol in salt-induced hypertension.