Aged female Dahl salt-sensitive rats exhibited higher baseline cardiovascular parameters and greater renal stress responses to a high-salt challenge than males, despite similar 60% survival rates.
Aged female Dahl salt-sensitive rats exhibit higher baseline cardiovascular parameters and greater renal stress responses to salt loading compared to males, despite similar survival rates.
Absolute Event Rate: 60% vs 60%
Salt-sensitive hypertension is a major cardiovascular risk factor that is exacerbated by aging. Emerging evidence suggests complex mechanistic pathways involving renal sodium handling, vascular dysfunction, and hormonal alterations that vary by sex and age. The Dahl salt-sensitive (SS) rat model provides an excellent platform for investigating age-related changes in blood pressure regulation under high-salt conditions. This study examined the development of salt-sensitive hypertension in aged Dahl SS rats (>30 weeks old; both males and females), focusing on sex differences in survival and blood pressure. Female animals were further categorized by breeding status (breeder vs. non-breeder) to evaluate the effects of reproductive history on cardiovascular outcomes. Male and female rats demonstrated similar overall survival rates (60%) during the high-salt challenge, although mortality occurred earlier in females. Males exhibited lower baseline mean arterial pressure compared with females. No significant differences were observed between breeder and non-breeder females in survival, blood pressure, or heart rate. Circadian rhythm analysis revealed that females had a higher mesor prior to high-salt exposure and a shifted acrophase during the first four days of the diet. Urinary cystatin C increased significantly in females but not in males following high-salt exposure. Overall, aged female rats exhibited higher baseline cardiovascular parameters (including blood pressure and heart-to-body weight ratio) and greater renal stress responses (cystatin C and electrolyte excretion) than males, despite similar survival rates. These findings provide new insights into sex-specific cardiovascular and renal responses to salt loading in aging and may help explain sex-dependent differences in salt-sensitive hypertension.
Bohovyk et al. (Sun,) conducted a other in Salt-sensitive hypertension. High-salt challenge vs. Sex (males vs. females) was evaluated on Overall survival. Aged female Dahl salt-sensitive rats exhibited higher baseline cardiovascular parameters and greater renal stress responses to a high-salt challenge than males, despite similar 60% survival rates.
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