Oxidative Stress in Dahl Salt-Sensitive Hypertension

ABSTRACT—The role of oxidative stress in the long-term regulation of arterial pressure, renal hemodynamics, and renal damage was studied in Dahl salt-sensitive rats. Twenty-eight Dahl S/Rapp strain rats, equipped with indwelling arterial and venous catheters, were subjected to a 3-week intravenous infusion of either low Na (0.9 mmol/d) or high Na (20.6 mmol/d) or the superoxide dismutase mimetic, 4-hydroxyl-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl (Tempol), at 125 μmol · kg · h plus low Na or high Na. After 21 days, mean arterial pressure was 140±3 mm Hg in the high-Na group, 118±1 mm Hg (P